sway

sway

verb

Definition of SWAY

1

to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response <how can you not be swayed by that precious kitten, meowing as if to say, “Please take me home with you?”>

Synonyms impact, impress, influence, move, reach, strike, sway, tell (on), touch

Related Words carry away, dazzle, enrapture, entrance, enthrall (or enthral), ravish, transport; bias, color; inspire, stir; engage, interest, involve, penetrate, pierce; afflict, agitate, bother, concern, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, disturb, fluster, harass, harry, perturb, pester, plague, smite, strain, stress, trouble, try, upset, worry, wring; allure, attract, bewitch, captivate, charm, enchant, fascinate

Near Antonyms bore, jade, pall, tire, weary; underwhelm

2

to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions <the way the ski lift was swaying in the wind made me nervous>

Synonyms careen, lurch, pitch, roll, seesaw, sway, toss, wobble (also wabble)

Related Words blunder, buck, dodder, falter, flounder, halt, hitch, hobble, jerk, jolt, reel, shake, stagger, stumble, teeter, toddle, totter, tumble, vacillate, vibrate, waddle, waver, weave; oscillate, undulate, wag, waggle

archaic

to exercise authority or power over <an epic novel set in the days when Rome swayed the Western world>

Synonyms boss, captain, command, control, preside (over), rule, sway [archaic]

Related Words conduct, direct, head, lead; administer, manage, micromanage, oversee, regulate, superintend, supervise; dictate, dominate, domineer, lord (it over), master, oppress, reign (over), tyrannize; conquer, subdue, subjugate