swagger

verb

swag·ger | \ ˈswa-gər

swaggered; swaggering\ ˈswa-g(ə-)riŋ

Definition of swagger

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner especially : to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence

2 : boast, brag

transitive verb

: to force by argument or threat : bully

swagger

noun

swag·ger | \ ˈswa-gər

Definition of swagger (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : an arrogantly self-confident way of walking : an act or instance of swaggering

b : arrogant or conceitedly self-assured behavior

c : ostentatious display or bravado

2 : a self-confident outlook : cockiness

swagger

adjective

swag·ger | \ ˈswa-gər

Definition of swagger (Entry 3 of 3)

: marked by elegance or showiness : posh

Other Words from swagger Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about swagger

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Other Words from swagger

Verb

swaggerer \ ˈswa-gər-ər

\ noun

swaggeringly \ ˈswa-g(ə-)riŋ-lē

\ adverb

Synonyms for swagger

Synonyms: Verb

blow, boast, brag, bull [slang], crow, gasconade, vapor, vaunt

Examples of swagger in a Sentence

Verb

He copped a plea, ratted out a dozen no-neck pals and swaggered off to prison, leaving South Beach temporarily without a pied piper. — Carl Hiaasen, New York Times Book Review, 22 Feb. 2009 So it is a fight rather than an argument, really—a fight over complexity versus ease, a fight that mostly mimics gang war, which is not so much a vigorous instance of manly bloodletting (though it is that too) as a dustup over prestige: who has the prior right to swagger in public. — Cynthia Ozick, Harper's, April 2007 Sometimes he sauntered through the streets of the old town. He looked with awe at the students of the corps, their cheeks gashed and red, who swaggered about in their coloured caps. — W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915 I, too, would swagger if I'd won first place in the bowling tournament. hoping to impress the women at the bar, the young man confidently swaggered across the room

Noun

He limps with a noticeable swagger, flamboyantly waving his cane, semi-ironically mimicking the rap stars who are now his peers. — Matt Diehl, Spin, September 2008 He greeted me with the swagger he's learned since he became a fighter pilot, smiling, his blue eyes glowing. — Matthew Klam, Harper's, February 1999 What a hero Tom was become, now! He did not go skipping and prancing, but moved with a dignified swagger as became a pirate who felt that the public eye was on him. — Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, 1876 He has a swagger that annoys some of his teammates.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

There are other schools in other states that don’t have [to contend with] a charismatic, swaggering CEO, so the dynamic is very different. — Sean Illing, Vox, "How corporate cash bought higher education," 14 Nov. 2018 The most sexed-up take on the look saw one guy swaggering down the runway like a cheeky gunslinger. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Are You Ready for the Return of Tighty-Whities? Gucci Sure Is," 25 Sep. 2018 The whole craze started back in May 2016, when a high school senior named Michael Senatore swaggered onto a stage and successfully flipped and landed a water bottle on a table during his school's annual talent show. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Physics holds the key to performing the flipping water bottle trick," 8 Oct. 2018 Long a swaggering force, these conservatives now tiptoe on social media outlets like Twitter. — Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, "Saudi Arabia’s once-powerful conservatives silenced by reforms and repression," 5 June 2018 Mexico is part of a select group that includes only host nation Russia, France and Belgium, in going 2-0-0 and possessing the kind of swaggering confidence that comes with that. — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, "After handling South Korea, swaggering Mexico has legitimate shot to win World Cup," 23 June 2018 America — the nation, ironically, that seemed to care the least about soccer — had swaggered in like some Old West lawman and done something nobody else could: clean up the beautiful game. — Ken Bensinger, chicagotribune.com, "If the U.S. doesn't get the 2026 World Cup, blame Donald Trump," 12 June 2018 Where that holiday-week concert at Saint Andrew’s had a cozy family vibe, Tuesday’s show swaggered with the feel of a big-time event. — Brian Mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Greta Van Fleet nails the high notes at Fillmore Detroit in homecoming kickoff," 23 May 2018 And Chris Robinson's swaggering, supple vocals and personal, poetic lyrics are some main reasons The Black Crowes were awesome. — Matt Wake, AL.com, "Chris Robinson talks Black Crowes, Jimmy Page, drugs, hot new tour," 10 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

His villain is Mark Zuckerberg, only with swagger; Jeff Bezos with fantastic hair. — Joseph Bien-kahn, WIRED, "Radical As Ever, Boots Riley Takes On the Tech Boom," 4 July 2018 Jai-Alai with a Miami Hurricanes swagger will make its debut at Magic City Casino on Sunday afternoon. — Michelle Kaufman, miamiherald, "These 10 former UM athletes make their Jai-Alai debut at Magic City Casino on Sunday," 29 June 2018 Like his speed, Jackson has had a swagger from a young age. — Joseph Person, charlotteobserver, "Donte Jackson: Panthers' second-round pick brings speed and swagger to secondary | Charlotte Observer," 10 May 2018 Spark has none of the sneering swagger that made Martin Shkreli everyone’s favorite pharma villain. — Eric Boodman, STAT, "Sign up for our biotech newsletter, The Readout," 8 May 2018 Of the ensemble, Morgan is having the most fun by giving his government agent character a Foghorn Leghorn accent and a heaping scoop of Texas swagger. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Rampage Is a Big, Noisy Nothing," 13 Apr. 2018 These, made from a lustrous satin-jersey, have an undeniable 90s swagger. — Max Berlinger, GQ, "The Best Track Pants to Wear Right Now," 5 Mar. 2018 Bowling shoes: Get rid of the gross factor and add some comfort and down-to-business swagger to your game (Dexter Men’s SST 6 Hybrid BOA). Towel: To clean your ball in between frames. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "Want to Become an Excellent Bowler? Here's Everything You Need to Know.," 27 Nov. 2018 Braun steals a homer, shows some swagger Ryan Braun stole a home run away from the Cubs on June 11, then playfully hid the ball. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The top 15 plays by the Milwaukee Brewers this season," 30 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'swagger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.