Definition of SWAGGERING

Synonyms for swagger

Synonyms: Verb

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

Who else could wear an outfit that could carry from the party to next morning’s SoulCycle session with this much swagger? — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Lily-Rose Depp Takes Chanel’s Bike Shorts For a Spin," 15 Nov. 2018 Leonardo DiCaprio teased fans Wednesday with a photo of himself in costume alongside Brad Pitt, staring down the camera with 1960s swagger. — Nardine Saad, latimes.com, "See Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt in first peek at Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'," 27 June 2018 Denny Lanez: Whether with moody trap or off-the-wall bangers, the Milwaukee newcomer conquers his live shows with superstar-worthy swagger. 8:30 p.m. — Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "16 must-see acts at Summerfest, from the Weeknd to Arcade Fire to Janelle Monae," 19 June 2018 This song grooves with a stoner-rock swagger that should speak directly to Queens of the Stone Age fans or anyone whose favorite Arctic Monkeys album is the one Josh Homme produced. — Ed Masley, azcentral, "10 Songs You Need to Hear Right Now: Gorillaz, Pusha T, Father John Misty, No Volcano, Post Hoc," 12 June 2018 However, there’s certainly a place for a corner with 4.3-second 40-yard dash speed who plays with swagger. — Jeff Zrebiec, baltimoresun.com, "Five players who stood out Saturday at Ravens' rookie minicamp," 7 May 2018 But this week at the Valero Texas Open, there’s a new unofficial mascot with a jaunty swagger and a friendly disposition that might dispute those claims. — Roxanna Scott, USA TODAY, "Meet Faaaabel the goat, Valero Texas Open's new unofficial mascot," 18 Apr. 2018 Likewise, the physicality that defined his early roles — a big hunk of man-meat swinging from jungle vines — is put to use here, as Chace bops around Italy with ultra-American swagger. — Anna Silman, The Cut, "Brendan Fraser Is Giving the Most Delightful Performance on TV Right Now," 1 Apr. 2018 There might be a bit of a misconception out there about Williams, who's quick to post videos of himself working out alone on his social media accounts and sometimes carries himself with a swagger on the floor that borders on unnecessarily cocky. — Bill Landis, cleveland.com, "Kam Williams' NCAA Tournament moment, a stage he's perfectly suited for, sends Ohio State to the second round," 15 Mar. 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.