swag

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈswag 

1

informal

a

: goods acquired by unlawful means : booty, loot

… the swag from this and other forms of graft was kept hidden …

—Frederick Lewis Allen

… a pirate's spectral wife, who has roamed the harbor ever since she was left behind to guard his swag.

—Katharine Whittemore

b

: valuable articles or goods

One of the premier spots in the area to land home-bar swag is Pub Stuff in Stafford. The store is packed with everything … for homeowners looking to make their bar stand out.

—Matt Pais

c

: promotional goods or items

… Ravens gear was selling better than O's swag. I bought one of the cartoon-bird caps …

—David Simon

d

: goods given to people who attend or participate in an event

Her handbags … one year were a part of the swag celebrities brought home from the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

—Karen Martin

e

: money, lucre

… affirmed that he is now bonded to pay up to $5,000 to any listener who may lose out on swag being offered by another network.

—Saul Carson

2

a

: a decorative strip or chain hanging in a curve between two points : festoon

… transverse swags of carmine floral design and top crown frieze …

—James Joyce

b

: a suspended cluster of something (such as evergreen branches)

Garlands of green, with roses interspersed, were in swags and loops about the splendid walls …

—E. Barrington

3

: a slow movement back and forth : sway sense 1

… a shudder took the whole structure of the vessel and my body on the bed, too, and the Kentucky Queen yawed to the deep inner swag of the river.

—Robert Penn Warren

4

chiefly Australia : a pack of personal belongings

… I'd be the last to strike my tent and sling my swag.

—Ambrose Bierce

swag

2 of 3

noun (2)

US slang

: bold or brash self-confidence : swagger, cockiness

His theory: "If you want the world to change, you must be the change you want in the world … . It's good to have swag but better to have substance."

—Briana Barner

On Sunday, hometown faves Derrick Carter and Jamila Woods tear up the Blue stage while Beyonce's little sister, Solange, brings her grown woman swag as the headliner on the Green stage.

—Mary L. Dratcher

Lewis spoke of "a breezy self confidence," known perhaps today as swag …

—Anton Allahar

I'm not just talking about his cheesy one-liners and the smirk that sometimes comes with them—the way he delivers that line is pure swag.

—LaToya Ferguson

swag

3 of 3

verb

swagged; swagging

intransitive verb

1

: sway, lurch

2

: sag, droop

transitive verb

1

: to adorn with swags

2

: to arrange (something, such as drapery) in swags

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• loot
• plunder
• treasure

Verb

• hang
• droop
• sag

Examples of swag in a Sentence

Noun (1)

The robbers divided the swag.

robbed a bank and hid the swag under the floorboards

Verb

the days of endless worrying had taken their toll, and the old woman's face swagged with exhaustion

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Carrying their bright red Newsweek swag bags, many of them took the time to walk around installations from Cognizant, Google Cloud, EVOM AI Piano and Doctronic, among others. —Katherine Fung, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

The crowd was diverse and everyone actually had swag. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 25 June 2025

Verb

The results were revelations for each participant: Lorde had never sounded so down to earth; Robyn had never been this swagged out. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024

Every nook and cranny of our favorite northern California town is swagged out with lights, bows, bunting, mistletoe, and, of course, good cheer. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

short for swagger entry 2

Verb

perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian svagga to sway, rock; akin to Middle Low German swacken to rock

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun (2)

2003, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

swag

noun

ˈswag

informal

1

: goods acquired by unlawful means : booty, loot

2

: valuable articles or goods

3

: promotional goods or items

4

: goods given to people who attend or participate in an event