hold sway

phrase

: to have a dominant influence : rule

Examples of hold sway in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There, the war stoked longtime secessionist sentiments, fronted chiefly by the Southern Transitional Council -- a bloc that until 2025 held sway in the south and was backed by the United Arab Emirates. — David Brennan, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

As long as the elementary principles of supply-and-demand continue to hold sway, the invisible hand of the marketplace will keep on flipping the bird to the naysayers. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Its gravity is extremely strong, of course, holding sway over a menagerie of objects around it. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026

Passions ran especially hot over slavery in the territories, where federal law held sway. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hold sway

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway