Definition of SWAY

sway

Plural: sways

Noun

  • controlling influence
  • pitching dangerously to one side
  • The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.
  • A rocking or swinging motion.
  • Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side
  • Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.
  • Rule; dominion; control; power.
  • A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.
  • The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's lateral motion.

Verb

Verb Forms: swayed, swaying, sways

  • To move slowly from side to side; to influence.
  • move back and forth or sideways
    • "the tall building swayed"
  • move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner
  • win approval or support for
    • "His speech did not sway the voters"
  • cause to move back and forth
    • "the wind swayed the trees gently"
  • To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.
  • To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield.
  • To influence or direct by power, authority, persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. Compare persuade.
  • To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; to warp.
  • To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.
  • To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.
  • To have weight or influence.
  • To bear sway; to rule; to govern.

Examples

  • Do you think you can sway their decision?
  • Her persuasive arguments could SWAY the judges, much like a bingo could change a Scrabble game.
  • I doubt I'll hold much sway with someone so powerful.
  • judgment swayed by passion
  • reeds swayed by the wind
  • sway to the music
  • The old song caused a little sway in everyone in the room.
  • The trees swayed in the breeze.
  • to sway the sceptre
  • to sway up the yards

Origin / Etymology

From earlier swey (“to fall, swoon”), from Middle English sweyen, from Old Norse sveigja (“to bend, bow”), from Proto-Germanic *swaigijaną (compare Saterland Frisian swooie (“to swing, wave, wobble”), Dutch zwaaien, Dutch Low Saxon sweuen (“to sway in the wind”), 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.

Scrabble Score: 10

sway: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
sway: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
sway: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

sway: valid Words With Friends Word