swagger
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to walk or strut with a defiant or insolent air.
-
to boast or brag noisily.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
(intr) to walk or behave in an arrogant manner
-
to brag loudly
-
rare (tr) to force, influence, etc, by blustering
noun
adjective
noun
Related Words
See strut 1.
Other Word Forms
- outswagger verb (used with object)
- swaggerer noun
- swaggering adjective
- swaggeringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of swagger
Explanation
Picture the confident, maybe even arrogant way a pirate, a cowboy, or even a rapper might stroll around. That style of walking is called a swagger. Swagger can also be used as a verb. After you ace a test you might swagger down the hall feeling pretty full of yourself. In verb form it can also refer to more aggressive behavior like bullying or intimidating others. Hopefully you wouldn’t swagger down the hall doing that though!
Vocabulary lists containing swagger
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Words from Shakespearean Insults
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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.
Far-right media personalities are adept at commanding attention with showmanship and swagger.
From Salon • Mar. 10, 2026
He delights in his mastery of the battlefield, military or civilian, flexing his psychological muscles with a sociopath’s defiant swagger.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
That swagger is providing plenty of entertainment for French supporters, who were rewarded for their long weekend in Cardiff with a thumping win.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
"We put this stuff on because it makes us feel good personally, and just gives us that little swagger, just to go about our day like that."
From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026
He was big and broad and he walked with a swagger.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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.
