swayed
Origin of swayed
sway
- to move or swing to and fro, as something fixed at one end or resting on a support.
- to move or incline to one side or in a particular direction.
- to incline in opinion, sympathy, tendency, etc.: She swayed toward conservatism.
- to fluctuate or vacillate, as in opinion: His ideas swayed this way and that.
- to wield power; exercise rule.
- to cause to move to and fro or to incline from side to side.
- to cause to move to one side or in a particular direction.
- Nautical. to hoist or raise (a yard, topmast, or the like) (usually followed by up).
- to cause to fluctuate or vacillate.
- to cause (the mind, emotions, etc., or a person) to incline or turn in a specified way; influence.
- to cause to swerve, as from a purpose or a course of action: He swayed them from their plan.
- to dominate; direct.
- to wield, as a weapon or scepter.
- to rule; govern.
- the act of swaying; swaying movement.
- rule; dominion: He held all Asia in his sway.
- dominating power or influence: Many voters were under his sway.
Origin of sway
Synonyms for sway
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
Related Words for swayed
wobble, lean, bend, waver, swing, overrule, persuade, impress, inspire, dominate, swagger, incline, pulsate, undulate, lurch, vibrate, wave, stagger, careen, rockExamples from the Web for swayed
Contemporary Examples of swayed
U.S. officials say that this time around there were three factors that swayed Clapper to support the deal.
I saw first hand when I was a trial lawyer that a jury —and even a judge- could be swayed by any one piece of evidence.
Whether the Venezuelans will be swayed by such maneuvers is another matter.
Even services that claim neutrality can be swayed by the stockpile of personal data now available to them.
Morales also served two years for an attempted rape when he was a juvenile, which also swayed the jury, she says.
Historical Examples of swayed
They swayed, then separated as though they had been torn apart.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
She swayed a little, so that the officer tightened his clasp on her wrist.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
But were there no other considerations which swayed him from the cloisters towards the world?
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
At the first step Mortimer staggered and swayed like a drunken man.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
She swayed forward bodily to his tug, and nearly went off the chair.
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad
sway
- (usually intr) to swing or cause to swing to and fro
- (usually intr) to lean or incline or cause to lean or incline to one side or in different directions in turn
- (usually intr) to vacillate or cause to vacillate between two or more opinions
- to be influenced or swerve or influence or cause to swerve to or from a purpose or opinion
- (tr) nautical to hoist (a yard, mast, or other spar)
- archaic, or poetic to rule or wield power (over)
- (tr) archaic to wield (a weapon)
- control; power
- a swinging or leaning movement
- archaic dominion; governing authority
- hold sway to be master; reign
Word Origin for sway
Word Origin and History for swayed
sway
c.1300, "to go, glide, move," probably from Old Norse sveigja "to bend, swing, give way," from Proto-Germanic *swaigijanan and related to swag (v.) and swing. The sense of "swing, wave, waver" is first recorded c.1500. Related: Swayed; swaying. The noun meaning "controlling influence" (to be under the sway of) is 1510s, from a transitive sense of the verb in Dutch and other languages. The verb in this sense is recorded in English from 1590s.
Idioms and Phrases with swayed
sway
see hold sway.