swaggered; swaggering
ˈswa-g(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner
especially
: to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence
: to force by argument or threat : bully
plural swaggers
1
a
: 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
: bold or brash self-confidence
"Taxi" opens with an argument over capital punishment between a progressive female teacher and a condescending loudmouth who's all macho swagger.—
Sheri Linden
Sheri LindenThierry has the swagger of a man who blew off conventional wisdom and turned out just fine.—Ben O'Donnell
Ben O'DonnellExamples 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.
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
Thomas Page, CNN Money, 11 May 2025
Philippe Antonello On Tuesday evening, Charlotte Gainsbourg swaggered down the red carpet at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art for the premiere of her new ballet series, Étoile.
—Paul Chi, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2025
Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Speaking of which, here’s where audiences first became acquainted with Ewan McGregor, who alongside Kerry Fox and Christopher Eccleston serves up so much charismatic, 20-something rebellious swagger that he was destined to become a movie star.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for swagger
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The award season kingmaker Late-breaking US policy announcements aside, Cannes is swaggering into its latest edition.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 11 May 2025
Philippe Antonello On Tuesday evening, Charlotte Gainsbourg swaggered down the red carpet at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art for the premiere of her new ballet series, Étoile.
—Paul Chi, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2025
Noun
At 88, the blues legend still prowls the stage like a man with something to prove—but there’s also a real sensitivity to his swagger.
—Mark Nevins, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Speaking of which, here’s where audiences first became acquainted with Ewan McGregor, who alongside Kerry Fox and Christopher Eccleston serves up so much charismatic, 20-something rebellious swagger that he was destined to become a movie star.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for swagger
Cite this Entry
“Swagger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swagger. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share