swagger

play

verb swag·ger \ ˈswa-gər \

Definition of swagger

swaggered; swaggering play \-g(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb

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

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swaggerer

play \-gər-ər\ noun

—

swaggeringly

play \-g(ə-)riŋ-lē\ adverb

See swagger defined for English-language learners

See swagger defined for kids

Examples of swagger in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of swagger from the Web

Trump idolizes swaggering commanders, such as the cinematic portrayal of George S. Patton Jr., the World War II general.

— author: robert costa, philip rucker, Alaska Dispatch News, "Military leaders gain influence throughout executive branch as they counsel president," 23 Aug. 2017
Trump idolizes swaggering commanders, such as the cinematic portrayal of George S. Patton Jr., the World War II general.

— author: robert costa, philip rucker, Alaska Dispatch News, "Military leaders gain influence throughout executive branch as they counsel president," 23 Aug. 2017
Trump idolizes swaggering commanders, such as the cinematic portrayal of George S. Patton Jr., the World War II general.

— robert costa, Washington Post, "Military leaders consolidate power in Trump administration," 22 Aug. 2017
The Killers, a quartet lead by swaggering multi-instrumentalist Brandon Flowers, will be a trio-plus-one for the tour, with bassist Mark Stoermer again a no-show.

— ben crandell, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Ticket alert: The Killers coming to Orlando," 28 July 2017
Where Spicer was a career cog in the Republican machine, Scaramucci is a swaggering New Yorker who speaks in the same clunky business pidgin as the president and can drop names nearly as prodigiously too.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Anthony Scaramucci Is the Right Answer to the Wrong Question," 21 July 2017
War drums boomed through all the noise as McGregor finally entered, swaggering in like William Wallace before his legion of loyal fans.

— tim kiernan, SI.com, "There could be more substance to Mayweather-McGregor than purists think," 14 July 2017
Fahey's swaggering thane falls apart easily once unmoored from his previous stance as a noble defender of Jack Hickey's Duncan.

— kerry reid, chicagotribune.com, "First Folio delivers a 'Macbeth' to the fates and the night sky," 26 June 2017
The high-concept stage design included not only many huge video screens but also smaller televisions of all sizes that Bono swaggered through and around. ...

— max londberg and timothy finn, kansascity.com, "U2 in KC: a quick look at past shows, plus that music video they made here," 12 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of swagger

probably from ¹swag + -er (as in chatter)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1596

See Words from the same year

swagger Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

bluster, harangue, puff; pride; gush; exult, glory, rejoice; brandish, display, exhibit, expose, flaunt, glorify, parade, show off; magnify, maximize

Near Antonyms

belittle, deprecate, diminish, discount, laugh off, minimize, play down, pooh-pooh (also pooh), shrug off, underrate, undervalue; bemoan, lament, mourn, regret

swagger

play

noun swag·ger \ ˈswa-gər \

Definition of swagger

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 :a self-confident outlook :cockiness

See swagger defined for English-language learners

Examples of swagger in a Sentence

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.