sway

v., swayed, sway·ing, sways.

v.intr.

1. To swing back and forth or to and fro. See synonyms at swing.
2. To incline or bend to one side; veer: She swayed and put out a hand to steady herself.
3. 1. To incline toward change, as in opinion or feeling.
   2. To fluctuate, as in outlook.

v.tr.

1. To cause to swing back and forth or to and fro.
2. To cause to incline or bend to one side.
3. Nautical. To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.
4. 1. To divert; deflect.
   2. To exert influence on or control over: His speech swayed the voters.
5. Archaic.
   1. To rule or govern.
   2. To wield, as a weapon or scepter.

n.

1. The act of moving from side to side with a swinging motion.
2. Power; influence.
3. Dominion or control.

[Middle English sweien, probably of Scandinavian origin.]

swayer sway'er n.
swayingly sway'ing·ly adv.

verb

1. To move rhythmically back and forth suspended or as if suspended from above: oscillate, swing. See move/halt, repetition.
2. To move back and forth or from side to side, as if about to fall: teeter, totter, vacillate, waver, weave, wobble. See repetition.
3. To have an impact on in a certain way: dispose, incline, influence, predispose. See affect/ineffectiveness, like/dislike.
4. To exercise the authority of a sovereign: govern, reign, rule. Idioms: wear thecrownpurple. See over/under.

noun

1. The right and power to command, decide, rule, or judge: authority, command, control, domination, dominion, jurisdiction, mastery, might, power, prerogative, sovereignty. Informal say-so. See over/under.
2. The power to produce an effect by indirect means: influence, leverage, weight. Informal clout. Slang pull. See affect/ineffectiveness.
3. The act of exercising controlling power or the condition of being so controlled: command, control, dominance, domination, dominion, mastery, reign, rule. See over/under.

v

Definition: influence, affect
Antonyms: leave alone

v

Definition: move back and forth
Antonyms: stay, steady

---

n. rule; control: the part of the continent under Russia's sway.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

In thatched roof construction, one of the small willow or hazelwood rods laid at right angles to the thatching to hold it down.

---

IN BRIEF: To swing or bend back and forth or from side to side.

The readers of the Boston Evening Transcript sway in the wind like a field of ripe corn. — T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), British-American poet and critic.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - svinge, sveje, gynge, vakle, herske
v. tr. - vejre, svinge, svaje, gynge, vakle, herske, styre, påvirke, omstemme
n. - svingen, svajen, gyngen, vaklen, indflydelse, magt, herredømme

idioms:

• hold sway    have magt
• under the sway of    under indflydelse af, styret af, behersket af

Nederlands (Dutch)
slingeren, beïnvloeden, van mening doen veranderen, beheersen, macht, invloed, (omme) zwaai

Français (French)
v. intr. - osciller, virer, vaciller (dans ses opinions)
v. tr. - influencer, osciller
n. - oscillation, balancement, influence, domination

idioms:

• hold sway    avoir une grande influence
• under the sway of    sous la domination de

Deutsch (German)
v. - beeinflussen, (sich) wiegen
n. - Schwanken, Herrschaft

idioms:

• hold sway    (be)herrschen
• under the sway of    unter der Herrschaft von

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - λικνίζομαι, ταλαντεύομαι, μεταπείθω, παρεκκλίνω, εξουσιάζω, δεσπόζω, (ναυτ.) βιράρω
n. - λίκνισμα, ταλάντευση, επιρροή, εξουσία, κυριαρχία

idioms:

• hold sway    ασκώ εξουσία
• under the sway of    υπό την επιρροή, υπό το ζυγό, υπό το κράτος

Italiano (Italian)
influire su, oscillare, deviare, potere, influenza, deviazione

idioms:

• hold sway    avere influenza
• under the sway of    sotto l'influenza di

Português (Portuguese)
v. - balançar
n. - balanço (m)

idioms:

• hold sway    dominar
• under the sway of    sob o domínio de

Русский (Russian)
качание, власть, влияние, качаться, качать, иметь влияние, управлять

idioms:

• hold sway    владычествовать
• under the sway of    под владычеством

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - oscilar, mecerse, tambalear, flaquear, inclinarse, ladearse, desviarse, torcerse, ceder, pesar, influir, dirigirse, encaminarse, gobernar, dominar, regir
v. tr. - influir en, gobernar, dominar, regir, mecer, hacer oscilar, inclinar, ladear, desviar, empuñar
n. - poder, dominio, influencia, vaivén, balanceo, oscilación

idioms:

• hold sway    dominar
• under the sway of    dominado por

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - svänga, svaja, vagga, gunga, kränga, vackla, hantera
n. - inflytande, makt, välde

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
摇动, 摇摆, 动摇, 歪, 倾斜, 转向, 使摇摆, 使动摇, 弄歪, 使倾斜, 影响, 统治, 支配

idioms:

• hold sway    有支配力量, 估统治地位
• under the sway of    受到...统治

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 搖動, 搖擺, 動搖, 歪, 傾斜, 轉向
v. tr. - 搖動, 使搖擺, 使動搖, 弄歪, 使傾斜, 影響
n. - 搖動, 搖擺, 統治, 支配, 影響

idioms:

• hold sway    有支配力量, 估統治地位
• under the sway of    受到...統治

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 흔들리다, 동요하다, 기울다
v. tr. - 흔들다, ~을 기울이다, 움직이다
n. - 동요, 진동, 좌우함

idioms:

• under the sway of    ~의 지배하에

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 揺れること, 動揺, 影響力
v. - 揺れる, 揺れ動く, 傾く, 傾ける, 動かす

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يتمايل ن يترنح , يسيطر على (الاسم) حكم , سيطرة , نفوذ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮התנדנד, התנודד, התנועע, נטה‬
v. tr. - ‮נדנד, היטה, השפיע, משל, שלט‬
n. - ‮התנדנדות, טלטול, השפעה, שליטה, שלטון‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.