sway

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.
2. (countable, uncountable) A rocking or swinging motion.
3. (countable, uncountable) Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side
4. (countable, uncountable) Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.
5. (countable, uncountable) Rule; dominion; control; power.
6. (countable, uncountable) A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.
7. (countable, uncountable) The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's lateral motion.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.
2. (transitive) To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield.
3. (transitive) To influence or direct by power, authority, persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. Compare persuade.
4. (transitive) To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; to warp.
5. (transitive) To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.
6. To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.
7. To have weight or influence.
8. To bear sway; to rule; to govern.

Synonyms

swing

rock

🪨

shake

🫨

wave

👋

stagger

wobble

totter

oscillate

influence

reel

waver

flutter

roll

lurch

affect

control

rule

tremble

persuade

brandish

wabble

vibrate

authority

teeter

induce

flicker

careen

heave

dominion

dangle

pitch

power

vacillate

tilt

convince

unsteady

wag

swag

be unsteady

domination

bend

command

fluctuate

flourish

jurisdiction

jolt

carry

agitate

supremacy

hang

Translations

schwanken

tituber

se balancer

balancer

schwingen

zwaaien

osciller

balancear

schaukeln

beeinflussen

cullare

🪨

wehen

slingeren

onduler

sich schaukeln

Pronounced as (IPA)

/sweɪ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: sweyen

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: swooie

Cognate with Dutch: zwaaien

Cognate with Lithuanian: svaĩgti

Cognate with Avestan: 𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬱𐬑𐬎𐬀𐬑𐬙𐬀

Cognate with Sanskrit: स्वजते

In summary

From earlier swey (“to fall, swoon”), from Middle English sweyen, from Old English *swǣġan (“to bend, bow”), from Proto-West Germanic *swaigijan, from Proto-Germanic *swaigijaną (compare Saterland Frisian swooie (“to swing, wave, wobble”)), from Proto-Indo-European *sweh₁- (compare Lithuanian svai̇̃gti (“to become giddy or dizzy”), the second element of Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌-𐬱𐬑𐬎𐬀𐬑𐬙𐬀 (paⁱri-šxuaxta, “to surround”), Sanskrit स्वजते (svájate, “he embraces, enfolds”).
The noun derived from the verb.

Sentences

These reports helped to sway public opinion against the war .