swag

[swag]

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noun

a suspended wreath, garland, drapery, or the like, fastened up at or near each end and hanging down in the middle; festoon.

a wreath, spray, or cluster of foliage, flowers, or fruit.

a festoon, especially one very heavy toward the center.

a swale.

a swaying or lurching movement.

verb (used without object), swagged, swag·ging.

to move heavily or unsteadily from side to side or up and down; sway.

to hang loosely and heavily; sink down.

verb (used with object), swagged, swag·ging.

to cause to sway, sink, or sag.

to hang or adorn with swags.

Origin of swag

1520–30; perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian svaga, svagga to sway, rock

swag

[swag]

noun

Slang.

plunder; booty.
money; valuables.
free merchandise distributed as part of the promotion of a product, company, etc.
self-confidence and personal style as shown by one's appearance and demeanor: the top ten athletes with the most swag.
schwag(def 1).

Australian. a traveler's bundle containing personal belongings, cooking utensils, food, or the like.

adjective

Slang. cool; cute; looking great: She looks so swag in her new jacket.Check out my swag boyfriend.

verb (used without object), swagged, swag·ging.

Australian. to travel about carrying one's bundle of personal belongings.

Also sweg [sweg] /swɛg/ (for defs 1, 3).

Origin of swag

First recorded in 1790–1800; special uses of swag¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for swag

booty, festoon, money, spoils, bundle, boodle, decoration, plunder, graft

Examples from the Web for swag

Contemporary Examples of swag

Sneaker and clothing brands routinely dole out buckets of dough to drape their swag over popular cultural characters.
Would You Pay $100 For a 50 Cent Bulge? Men’s Undies Get Expensive
James Joiner
December 23, 2014
Ultimately, though, “his dad rented it to us for $500… I need to send him a package of swag.”
Ben Carson’s Bizarrely Serious, Seriously Bizarre Campaign Crew
Olivia Nuzzi
November 12, 2014
We shared pride in the mission and proudly wore our finest Facebook swag—hats, T-shirts, hoodies.
Randi Zuckerberg: How I Learned to Balance Business and Creativity
Randi Zuckerberg
November 4, 2013
In recent years, the Oscar nominees have had an evolving relationship with the swag bag.
Oscar’s Bizarre Swag Bag: Condoms, Circus Training, and More
Kevin Fallon
February 21, 2013
Howard Fineman, looking camera-ready as usual, wandered the convention hall looking for swag.
Tropical Storm Isaac Sidelines Media Elite at the Republican Convention
Lauren Ashburn
August 28, 2012

Historical Examples of swag

I didn't git none o' the swag; it warn't my job, but I seed 'em through.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
If we got the swag, we'd GOT to do for him, or he would hunt us down and do for us, sure.
Tom Sawyer, Detective
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
I was going to give you a share of the swag—of course, of course, of course!
The Trimming of Goosie
James Hopper
They didn't fight; they stayed at home, where it was safe, and waited for the swag.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete
Albert Bigelow Paine
Now all you've got to do is to make sure where he keeps his swag.
Victory
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for swag

swag

noun

slang property obtained by theft or other illicit means

slang goods; valuables

an ornamental festoon of fruit, flowers, or drapery or a representation of this

a swaying movement; lurch

Midland English dialect a depression filled with water, resulting from mining subsidence

Australian and NZ informal (formerly) a swagman's pack containing personal belongings

go on the swag Australian and NZ informal to become a tramp

swags of Australian and NZ informal lots of

verb swags, swagging or swagged

mainly British to lurch or sag or cause to lurch or sag

(tr) to adorn or arrange with swags

(intr) Australian informal to tramp about carrying a pack of personal belongings

Word Origin for swag

C17: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian svagga to sway

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for swag

"to move heavily or unsteadily," 1520s, probably from Old Norse sveggja "to swing, sway," cognate with Old English swingan "to swing" (see swing). Related: Swagged; swagging.

"ornamental festoon," 1794, from swag (v.). Colloquial sense of "promotional material" (from recording companies, etc.) was in use by 2001; swag was English criminal's slang for "quantity of stolen property, loot" from c.1839. Earlier senses of "bulky bag" (c.1300) and "big, blustering fellow" (1580s) may represent separate borrowings from the Scandinavian source. Swag lamp attested from 1966.