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

The back-and-forth reflects the intense battle the companies are in to sway young startups that could become large customers in the future.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

The ruling overturns a case that had held sway for 91 years.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026

Micron’s sway is evidenced by the tech sector’s broader moves Thursday.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

But they hold no sway over the supermajority.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

Sitting in the seat, he glanced at us once over his shoulder, then opened a book on his stand, and began to sway back and forth.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

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

He said it “isn’t necessarily going to sway a large chunk of the electorate,” but could be important if it sways Bay Area donors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2025

She sways awkwardly from side to side with her eyes closed.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Sam used to say, “Close your eyes when you listen to a new artist — don’t get swayed by whether they’re beautiful or they’re handsome or they can dance their ass off.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 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

When Congress first created the FTC in the 1910s, it recognized that the agency’s mandates of protecting consumers and fighting monopolies should not be overly swayed by partisan politics.

From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026

"If those systems were to change, maybe my decision could have been swayed earlier on," she tells me.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

When Molly stepped out into the hall, the floor swayed slightly, the dark suddenly too thick, as if the lights had been dimmed.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

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

An AFP journalist captured rare footage at Al-Rahmaniyah camp showing exhausted women shuffling under a punishing sun, jerrycans swaying on their heads after hours spent waiting for water at a distant well.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 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

In this painting, a man meant to be Hockney swims underwater to the edge of the pool, his dark hair swaying in the water, his tight white swimsuit blending in with the sun-dappled water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

Outside, Fred saw treetops swaying and clouds blacker than any he’d ever seen in any sky—even when Dog Squad did their tornado-chaser episode.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• bend
• lean
• swing
• waver
• wobble