# sway
## English
### 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 svaĩgti (“to become giddy or dizzy”), the second element of Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌-𐬱𐬑𐬎𐬀𐬑𐬙𐬀 (pa$^i$ri-šxuaxta, “to surround”), Sanskrit स्वजते (svájate, “he embraces, enfolds”).
The noun derived from the verb.

### Pronunciation

* enPR: swā, IPA: /sweɪ/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -eɪ

### Noun

sway (countable and uncountable, plural sways)
* The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.
* A rocking or swinging motion.
    The old song caused a little sway in everyone in the room.
* Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side
    I doubt I'll hold much sway with someone so powerful.
** 2021 April 28, Tara Siegel Bernard, “Trading Stock Tips on TikTok, Newbies Are Deeply Invested in Learning”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:Though both Mr. Knight and Mr. Hennessey view themselves as traders first, the “finfluencer” culture has flourished with the surge in online interest, and they have considerable sway.
* Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.
* Rule; dominion; control; power.
** 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:Prospero: […] Confederates / (ſo drie he was for Sway) with King of Naples / To giue him Annuall tribute, doe him homage / Subiect his Coronet, to his Crowne and bend / The Dukedom yet vnbow'd (alas poore Millaine) / To moſt ignoble ſtooping.
** 2019 June 8, Toru Takahashi, “Prayuth's return as prime minister takes Thailand back to 1980s”, in Nikkei Asian Review‎, Nikkei Inc, retrieved 2019-06-09:Prayuth's return as prime minister takes Thailand back to 1980s. Military still holds sway in a democracy that has yet to mature.
* A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.
* The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's lateral motion.

#### Derived terms

* anti-sway bar
* hold sway
* sway-backed
* sway bar
* sway-bracing

#### Translations
### Verb

sway (third-person singular simple present sways, present participle swaying, simple past and past participle swayed)
* (intransitive) To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.
    sway to the music
    The trees swayed in the breeze.
** 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, “Afterglow”, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 168:Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.
* (transitive) To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield.
    to sway the sceptre
** 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 42:As sparckles from the Anduile vse to fly, / When heauie hammers on the wedge are swaid
* (transitive) To influence or direct by power, authority, persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. Compare persuade.
    Do you think you can sway their decision?
** 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:This was the race / To sway the world, and land and sea subdue.
** 2017 July 23, Brandon Nowalk, “The great game begins with a bang on Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club‎:After all this time […] the woman who endured all that by focusing on her hit list can be swayed from her course by the prospect of her family and her home.
* (transitive) To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; to warp.
    reeds swayed by the wind
    judgment swayed by passion
** 1664, John Tillotson, “Sermon I. The Wisdom of Being Religious. Job XXVIII. 28.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], 8th edition, London: […] T. Goodwin, B[enjamin] Tooke, and J. Pemberton, […]; J. Round […], and J[acob] Tonson] […], published 1720, →OCLC:Let not temporal and little advantages sway you against a more durable interest.
* (nautical, transitive) To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.
    to sway up the yards
* To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.
** a. 1627 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “Considerations Touching a VVarre vvith Spaine. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany VVorks of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. […], London: […] I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, […], published 1629, →OCLC, page 64:euen in these Personall Respects, the Ballance swayes on our part: […]
* To have weight or influence.
** 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):The example of sundry churches […] doth sway much.
* To bear sway; to rule; to govern.
** 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene v]:Hadst thou swayed as kings should do.

#### Synonyms

* careen

#### Derived terms

* asway

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### See also

* persuade

### Anagrams

* -ways, Yaws, ways, yaws