sway

American  

[swey] / sweɪ /

verb (used without object)

• sways,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swayed,
  past participle,  past
• swaying
  present participle

1. to move or swing to and fro, as something fixed at one end or resting on a support.

   Synonyms:

   wave

2. to move or incline to one side or in a particular direction.

3. to incline in opinion, sympathy, tendency, etc..

   She swayed toward conservatism.

   Synonyms:

   tend, bend, lean

4. to fluctuate or vacillate, as in opinion.

   His ideas swayed this way and that.

5. to wield power; exercise rule.

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verb (used with object)

• sways,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swayed,
  past participle,  past
• swaying
  present participle

1. to cause to move to and fro or to incline from side to side.

2. to cause to move to one side or in a particular direction.

3. Nautical. to hoist or raise (a yard, topmast, or the like) (usually followed byup ).

4. to cause to fluctuate or vacillate.

5. to cause (the mind, emotions, etc., or a person) to incline or turn in a specified way; influence.

6. to cause to swerve, as from a purpose or a course of action.

   He swayed them from their plan.

7. to dominate; direct.

8. to wield, as a weapon or scepter.

9. to rule; govern.

noun

1. the act of swaying; swaying movement.

2. rule; dominion.

   He held all Asia in his sway.

3. dominating power or influence.

   Many voters were under his sway.

sway British  

/ sweɪ /

verb

1. (usually intr) to swing or cause to swing to and fro

2. (usually intr) to lean or incline or cause to lean or incline to one side or in different directions in turn

3. (usually intr) to vacillate or cause to vacillate between two or more opinions

4. to be influenced or swerve or influence or cause to swerve to or from a purpose or opinion

5. (tr) nautical to hoist (a yard, mast, or other spar)

6. archaic to rule or wield power (over)

7. archaic (tr) to wield (a weapon)

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noun

1. control; power

2. a swinging or leaning movement

3. archaic dominion; governing authority

4. to be master; reign

sway Idioms  

1. see hold sway.

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Synonym Usage

See swing ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-sway
  noun
• swayer
  noun
• swayable
  adjective
• swayful
  adjective
• unswayable
  adjective
• unswaying
  adjective
• swayingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• swaying
  present
• swayed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sway
  simple
• sways
  simple
• have swayed
  perfect
• has swayed
  perfect
• am swaying
  progressive
• are swaying
  progressive
• is swaying
  progressive
• have been swaying
  perfect progressive
• has been swaying
  perfect progressive

Past

• swayed
  simple
• had swayed
  perfect
• was swaying
  progressive
• were swaying
  progressive
• had been swaying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sway
  simple
• will have swayed
  perfect
• will be swaying
  progressive
• will have been swaying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sway

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English sweyen, from Old Norse sveigja “to bend, sway” (transitive); noun derivative of the verb

Explanation

Back and forth...back and forth...back and forth...are you sea-sick yet? The sway, or rocking motion, of a boat is too much for many stomachs. People can sway if they're dizzy, tilting from side to side as they walk. On a windy day you can see trees swaying and bending in the wind. Swaying is usually a gentle motion, but if you're easily swayed, you're in trouble. That means you're easily influenced by others. People of power often "hold sway" over their followers, controlling them with the seeming ease of the breeze.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sway sways swayed swaying

He said there had always been a "silent majority" against violence in Northern Ireland's recent history, but a "vocal minority who have been for violence, and they seem to hold sway".

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

“People get scared of the sway, the wobble. If you’ve had a fall before, you get a fear of falling again and you stiffen up, you become protective,” Swanson says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The talk show raked in Daytime Emmy awards, and the host’s sway with the audience was undeniable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Authoritarian governments have long flooded the internet with propaganda to sway opinion, said Molly Roberts, a University of California San Diego professor who co-wrote the Nature paper.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Although still within the Holy Roman Empire, he had crossed a significant invisible border, from the northern states where the Reformed Churches held sway to the southern region where the Catholic influence was dominant.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Settles-Bey sways to the rhythm of the bongos on a recent Sunday in the park -- but nerves are still frayed.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

When his “political enemy,” the glib and popular Alcibiades, sways the assembly, Nicias replies that this means sending both a fleet and “large numbers of land forces.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Despite being bigger, bolder and more shocking than the average form of activism, we’ve watched as extremists momentarily capture the world’s attention, before the general narrative inevitably sways a different way.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2025

Nintendo argues its 3D audio tech will create a surround sound experience, but this is unlikely to be the feature that sways people to picking up the device.

From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2025

Half her length, she sways her heads in air, outside her horrid cleft, hunting the sea around that promontory for dolphins, dogfish, or what bigger game thundering Amphitrite feeds in thousands.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide, said the Fed would not be swayed by a single job report from its inflation focus.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

A defendant need show only a “reasonable possibility” that the bogus forensics swayed even one juror.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

She paced, she swayed, she laughed with displeasure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Regan also swayed investors with what Cialdini calls “social proof,” namedropping influential-sounding people or institutions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The ground sloshed and swayed, and water spurted rhythmically from the lawn, sounding like waves lapping on a shore.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

The group, swaying in unison, have come together to re-create the music video for Kate Bush's 1978 song Wuthering Heights, inspired by Emily Brontë's novel.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

The Belgian team copied Trump's unmistakable swaying fist pumps as they celebrated their 4-1 thrashing of the co-hosts on Monday, dancing and singing the song on the pitch and in the changing room.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Moderating gasoline prices and news of a ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran are slowly swaying consumers to feel marginally better about their economic situations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Something dark and flat was swaying gently against the floor of the Reflecting Pool as I strolled past the monuments on Thursday morning.

From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026

Maybeth stood swaying in a half-dance by the water’s edge, singing to herself.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Related Words

• bend
• lean
• swing
• waver
• wobble