sway

American  

[sway] / 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

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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

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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 is also the face of a growing media empire, which is what a comedian must become to hold sway in the upper echelons of new media fame.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

This time, his wife's testimony failed to sway the court.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Even the faux-prestige of 2022’s “Babylon” couldn’t sway viewers.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

A recent report from S&P Global Ratings found that changes in the cost of attendance can sway individual students but don’t broadly correlate to boosted enrollment levels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 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

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

He sways in the alfalfa of Seneca Township.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Matthew Luzzetti, chief economist at Deutsche Bank, said that he thought Warsh had made a case for a September rate hike that would not be swayed by data over the next two weeks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

One neighbor said he was “technically very nice,” but the majority wasn’t swayed, and locals opposed him at every turn over the next decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

“I’m not swayed by flattery, just as I’m not affected by insults. ... I’ve faced the most attacks in my own country, not abroad,” Barton confessed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Hiroko Ogata, a 75-year-old restaurant owner in the city of Yatsushiro, told the BBC she hid under a table at her restaurant when the quake struck and swayed violently along with it.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Seven linked her pinkie with Poppy’s, and they swayed their arms to and fro three times.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Banks, who was in a tan suit and brown tie, appeared nervous ahead of the verdict being read, swaying back and forth and at times swiveling in his chair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

The name is a feint: There’s nothing goth about his chipper electronic pop, which often feels tailor-made for DJ sets in exotic locations, a crowd swaying as the sun sinks in the background.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

After the Ashes of 2005, probably England's greatest series win, celebrations were led by a swaying Andrew Flintoff on an open-top bus through the streets of London.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Footage verified by AFP showed heavy vehicles, street lights and traffic lights swaying.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Up the road, a swaying lantern cast its glow.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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Related Words

• bend
• lean
• swing
• waver
• wobble

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