sag
verb (used without object)
to sink or bend downward by weight or pressure, especially in the middle.
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sag
1 American
[sag]
/ sæg /
verb (used without object)
-
sags,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sagged,
past participle, past
-
sagging
present participle
-
to sink or bend downward by weight or pressure, especially in the middle.
The roof sags.
-
to hang down unevenly; droop.
Her skirt was sagging.
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to droop; hang loosely.
His shoulders sagged.
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to yield through weakness, lack of effort, or the like.
Our spirits began to sag.
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to decline, as in price.
The stock market sagged today.
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Nautical.
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(of a hull) to droop at the center or have excessive sheer because of structural weakness.
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to be driven to leeward; to make too much leeway.
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verb (used with object)
-
sags,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sagged,
past participle, past
-
sagging
present participle
noun
-
an act or instance of sagging.
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the degree of sagging.
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a place where anything sags; depression.
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a moderate decline in prices.
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Nautical.
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deflection downward of a hull amidships, due to structural weakness.
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SAG
2
American
[sag]
/ sæg /
noun
sag
British
/ sæɡ /
verb
-
(also tr) to sink or cause to sink in parts, as under weight or pressure
the bed sags in the middle
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to fall in value
prices sagged to a new low
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to hang unevenly; droop
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(of courage, spirits, etc) to weaken; flag
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sagsimple
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sagssimple
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have saggedperfect
-
has saggedperfect
-
am saggingprogressive
-
are saggingprogressive
-
is saggingprogressive
-
have been saggingperfect progressive
-
has been saggingperfect progressive
Past
-
saggedsimple
-
had saggedperfect
-
was saggingprogressive
-
were saggingprogressive
-
had been saggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sag
1375–1425; late Middle English saggen (v.), probably < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian sagga to move slowly (akin to Low German sacken to sink, Norwegian, Danish sakke, Swedish sacka, Icelandic sakka to slow up, fall behind)
Explanation
When something sags, it leans, settles, or droops. If your bed sags in the middle, it can be hard to get a good night's sleep. When you're tired, your whole body may sag, drooping with exhaustion. And older people are sometimes surprised to look in the mirror and see that their faces are beginning to sag with age. Objects sag too, with weight or age: "The porch on that old house has started to sag — the whole thing may need to be torn down." Sag is probably related to the Old Norse sokkva, "to sink."
Vocabulary lists containing sag
"Harlem" by Langston Hughes
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"Harlem" by Langston Hughes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Together, they are intended to support the muscles of the throat so the airway is less likely to sag or collapse during sleep.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
National rail said heat can cause overhead lines to expand and sag, line-side fires and also rails to buckle.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Tables that seemed to sag gently under the weight of carbohydrates.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
The deals have turned Occidental into a formidable oil-and-gas producer but also saddled it with billions of dollars in debt that weigh it down when oil prices sag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
Geels searched Kaz’s gaze, and whatever he saw there made his shoulders sag.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
He has two pensions because they predate the merger of SAG, the film actors' union, and AFTRA, for television actors, in 2012.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The creators of SAG, aged between 35 and 41, settled in New York several years ago and remain active in the local Iranian diaspora and all have day jobs.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
His win came after a recent lead actor upset at the Actor Awards, formerly known as the SAG Awards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
From Harrison Ford’s lifetime achievement award to the big winners of the night, including “Sinners,” “The Pitt” and “The Studio,” here’s what happened at the SAG awards show.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026
The SAG Awards are voted for by fellow actors.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
If, at times, the narrative structure sags and the character portraits blur, it’s in service to the immensity of hope and defiance extinguished by the airstrike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Home buyers are scoring the biggest discounts in over a decade as the housing market sags from weak demand.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 2, 2026
Gold and stocks have been rallying together to record highs, as the dollar sags and bond yields go sideways.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025
“As that jet stream sags further and further south, we start seeing more frequent chances of rain.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
He wore a peach shirt under a baggy indigo sweater, black drainpipes, one of those studded belts that sags loose off your hips, and winkle-pickers with white tube socks, like everyone's wearing recently.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Their first two LPs sagged on the Billboard 200, but the third, in 1975, did well, boosted by the hit “It Only Takes a Minute.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
This week, that mark had sagged to 40%, as shown in the chart below.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
Contract signings sagged in the Northeast and Midwest, dropping a seasonally adjusted 8.3% and 3.3% from last January’s level.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
It isn’t as if the stock sagged consistently.
From Barron's ● Dec. 30, 2025
His shoulders sagged even more than they normally did.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
In this alternate universe, beautiful people have pig snouts, distorted mouths, and sagging cheeks.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
The upper end, comprising more expensive homes, is humming along, particularly in pricey markets in the Northeast, while the lower end, comprising more affordable homes, is sagging.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
First responders found two buckled columns and several sagging floors, and officials said the building continued to move in the hours that followed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
If sagging cables touch trees or buildings below, that could cause an accident or power failure.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The small group stands staring at the sagging tire a moment, the two men kicking at it as if punishing it for having failed the señorita.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
