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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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

Their swaggering first-round performance leaves two ill-prepared boys open-mouthed like fish. — The Economist, "Debating contests teach Chinese students an argument has two sides," 15 June 2019 That looks prescient now, with swaggering space barons like Elon Musk... — Tom Shippey, WSJ, "Science Fiction: The New Off-World Economy," 17 May 2019 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The Ravens’ vast collection of defensive backs racked up interceptions and played with a collective swagger over the three days of mandatory minicamp. — Childs Walker, baltimoresun.com, "Five Things We Learned from the Ravens’ OTAs and minicamp," 14 June 2019 Curry’s been in a relative groove since Game 6 in Houston, shimmying his way through defenses with an MVP swagger. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "Can the Splash Brothers Pull Off One More Oracle Classic?," 13 June 2019 Her fine cotton shirts, subtly monogrammed at the waist, are cut straight, but with a louche swagger. — Vogue, "Meet the Parisian Design Duo Offering Refined Tailoring at Just the Right Price Point," 23 May 2019 At the same time, CEOs with personal swagger can still become steady, reliable managers. — Sam Walker, WSJ, "Goodbye Swaggering CEOs; Hello Mr. Rogers," 3 Nov. 2018 It’s hard to imagine the bad gal swagger existing without Blige’s streetwise persona proceeding it. — Vogue, "Rihanna Paid Tribute to Mary J. Blige in Head to Toe Leather," 24 June 2019 There’s a little bit of the swagger that made LoDo fall in love with Kyle Freeland a year ago. — Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post, "Kiszla: Take that L on the way out, Cubbies. Rockies rookie pitcher Peter Lambert foils Chicago again.," 11 June 2019 The powerful stare, the perfectly-coiffed hair, the clothes, the swagger: Robin is now officially hot and the GoT fandom is taking is as a consolation prize for the way the rest of the series finale did us all kinda dirty. — Allie Gemmill, Teen Vogue, ""Game of Thrones" Should Have Given the Iron Throne to Robin Arryn’s Glow-Up," 20 May 2019 Milton, 5:30-6:30 p.m. JEB BUSH ORCHESTRA The high-energy swagger and infectious grooves of this funk band will get you on your feet. — Zoë Madonna, BostonGlobe.com, "Make Music celebrates the summer solstice with 100 free performances," 15 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.