sagged; sagging
1
: to droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
2
a
: to lose firmness, resiliency, or vigor
spirits sagging from overwork
b
: to decline especially from a thriving state
3
: drift
4
: to fail to stimulate or retain interest
: to cause to sag : leave slack in
1
: a tendency to drift (as of a ship to leeward)
2
a
: a sagging part
the sag in a rope
b
: a drop or depression below the surrounding area
c
: an instance or amount of sagging
3
: a temporary decline (as in the price of a commodity)
Screen Actors Guild
Synonyms
Examples of sag in a Sentence
Verb
The roof is sagging in the middle.
The economy began to sag.
As all our efforts failed, our spirits sagged.
Noun
if there's too much sag in the rod, the curtains will drag on the floor
Recent Examples on the Web
Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2024
After suffering sagging sales in the mid-1970s, A&P embarked on a major consolidation and reorganization plan, closing 400 stores in 1981.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
The wife seemed to know that the (sleeping) husband’s belly would be slack, sagging with gravity.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The Lakers’ strategy involves sagging off Green, inviting him to take open 3-pointers.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Opponents have caught on, sagging off the 6-foot-4 guard and shading Charlotte’s front court duo of Jackson and Milicic.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024
The sport has been sagging for years across the region, lacking star players, interesting coaches and consistent excellence on the court.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
But after the deal devolved into a financial scandal, Whitman wound up laying off thousands of workers as HP's fortunes sagged, leading eventually to the company being split in two in 2015.
—Michael Liedtke, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024
Over time, that muscle sagged and eventually, Vercler performed another operation to lift it.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024
And domestic political fissures are widening as the nation’s morale sags.
—Daniel Michaels, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2023
Severe thunderstorm activity looks to wane into the weekend as a cooler, drier air mass sags in behind a cold front.
—Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
The club is the kind of place where cables dangle haphazardly from a low ceiling and the second-level dance floor sags when a crowd is particularly rambunctious.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
Bey and the crew scramble to fix the problem, do a quick wardrobe change, and have her back onstage before the momentum sags; her face never breaks.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2023
Sticking around as their approval ratings sag is a blow to collective morale.
—Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
China’s exports fell by 8.8% in August year-on-year, while imports contracted 7.3%, customs data showed on Thursday, increasing pressure on the country’s vast manufacturing sector as demand sags at home and abroad.
—Reuters, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023
The filter on the top reveals prominent wrinkles on her forehead and sags under her eyes, with Walsh reacting with skepticism.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 27 July 2023
Verb
This topper may also provide enough support for back sleepers, but stomach sleepers should probably look elsewhere as the memory foam isn’t likely to provide enough support, so sagging in the hip area may be an issue.
—Sharon Brandwein, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2024
After suffering sagging sales in the mid-1970s, A&P embarked on a major consolidation and reorganization plan, closing 400 stores in 1981.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
The wife seemed to know that the (sleeping) husband’s belly would be slack, sagging with gravity.
—Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The Lakers’ strategy involves sagging off Green, inviting him to take open 3-pointers.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Opponents have caught on, sagging off the 6-foot-4 guard and shading Charlotte’s front court duo of Jackson and Milicic.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024
The sport has been sagging for years across the region, lacking star players, interesting coaches and consistent excellence on the court.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
But after the deal devolved into a financial scandal, Whitman wound up laying off thousands of workers as HP's fortunes sagged, leading eventually to the company being split in two in 2015.
—Michael Liedtke, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024
Over time, that muscle sagged and eventually, Vercler performed another operation to lift it.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Don doubles down on his ambitious intentions, his emo-tinged flow riding atop boundary-pushing production that recall peak Travis Scott and Kanye West during a 62-minute project that never sags.
—Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024
And domestic political fissures are widening as the nation’s morale sags.
—Daniel Michaels, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2023
Severe thunderstorm activity looks to wane into the weekend as a cooler, drier air mass sags in behind a cold front.
—Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
The club is the kind of place where cables dangle haphazardly from a low ceiling and the second-level dance floor sags when a crowd is particularly rambunctious.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
Bey and the crew scramble to fix the problem, do a quick wardrobe change, and have her back onstage before the momentum sags; her face never breaks.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2023
Sticking around as their approval ratings sag is a blow to collective morale.
—Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
China’s exports fell by 8.8% in August year-on-year, while imports contracted 7.3%, customs data showed on Thursday, increasing pressure on the country’s vast manufacturing sector as demand sags at home and abroad.
—Reuters, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023
The filter on the top reveals prominent wrinkles on her forehead and sags under her eyes, with Walsh reacting with skepticism.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 27 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sag
Cite this Entry
“Sag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sag. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sag
1 of 2 verb
sagged; sagging
1
: to droop or sink below the normal or right level
2
: to become less firm or strong
saggy
adjective
ˈsag-ē
sag
2 of 2 noun1
: a sagging part or area
the sag in a rope
2
: an instance or amount of sagging
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