sagged; sagging
1
: to droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
2
a
: to lose firmness, resiliency, or vigor
spirits sagging from overwork
b
: to decline especially from a thriving state
3
: drift
4
: to fail to stimulate or retain interest
: to cause to sag : leave slack in
1
: a tendency to drift (as of a ship to leeward)
2
a
: a sagging part
the sag in a rope
b
: a drop or depression below the surrounding area
c
: an instance or amount of sagging
3
: a temporary decline (as in the price of a commodity)
Screen Actors Guild
Synonyms
Examples of sag in a Sentence
Verb
The roof is sagging in the middle.
The economy began to sag.
As all our efforts failed, our spirits sagged.
Noun
if there's too much sag in the rod, the curtains will drag on the floor
Recent Examples on the Web
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
But after the deal devolved into a financial scandal, Whitman wound up laying off thousands of workers as HP's fortunes sagged, leading eventually to the company being split in two in 2015.
—Michael Liedtke, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024
Over time, that muscle sagged and eventually, Vercler performed another operation to lift it.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
The company’s stock has sagged since January, weighing on the finances of the century-old company.
—Lori Aratani, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Coke has been helped by its away-from-home sales—like in movie theaters and restaurants—in the past and has relied on international markets in Mexico and Germany to prop up sagging U.S. demand.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
When songs provide so little information, barely differentiating the characters let alone advancing the plot, a musical tends to sag.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Those included areas where the pool deck appeared to be sagging dangerously, cracking a nearby planter.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
The Warriors decided during pregame to sag off Brown and allow Green to help inside, which backfired when the former Cal standout had five 3-pointers and 19 points in a 44-22 first quarter.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Daniel Michaels, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2023
Severe thunderstorm activity looks to wane into the weekend as a cooler, drier air mass sags in behind a cold front.
—Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
The club is the kind of place where cables dangle haphazardly from a low ceiling and the second-level dance floor sags when a crowd is particularly rambunctious.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
Bey and the crew scramble to fix the problem, do a quick wardrobe change, and have her back onstage before the momentum sags; her face never breaks.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2023
Sticking around as their approval ratings sag is a blow to collective morale.
—Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
China’s exports fell by 8.8% in August year-on-year, while imports contracted 7.3%, customs data showed on Thursday, increasing pressure on the country’s vast manufacturing sector as demand sags at home and abroad.
—Reuters, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023
The filter on the top reveals prominent wrinkles on her forehead and sags under her eyes, with Walsh reacting with skepticism.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 27 July 2023
Passages of time between scenes, though marked by apt interstitial music (sound design by Justin Ellington), are too often visually null, letting the narrative energy sag.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2022
Verb
The sport has been sagging for years across the region, lacking star players, interesting coaches and consistent excellence on the court.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
But after the deal devolved into a financial scandal, Whitman wound up laying off thousands of workers as HP's fortunes sagged, leading eventually to the company being split in two in 2015.
—Michael Liedtke, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024
Over time, that muscle sagged and eventually, Vercler performed another operation to lift it.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
The company’s stock has sagged since January, weighing on the finances of the century-old company.
—Lori Aratani, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
Coke has been helped by its away-from-home sales—like in movie theaters and restaurants—in the past and has relied on international markets in Mexico and Germany to prop up sagging U.S. demand.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024
When songs provide so little information, barely differentiating the characters let alone advancing the plot, a musical tends to sag.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Those included areas where the pool deck appeared to be sagging dangerously, cracking a nearby planter.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
The Warriors decided during pregame to sag off Brown and allow Green to help inside, which backfired when the former Cal standout had five 3-pointers and 19 points in a 44-22 first quarter.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
And domestic political fissures are widening as the nation’s morale sags.
—Daniel Michaels, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2023
Severe thunderstorm activity looks to wane into the weekend as a cooler, drier air mass sags in behind a cold front.
—Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
The club is the kind of place where cables dangle haphazardly from a low ceiling and the second-level dance floor sags when a crowd is particularly rambunctious.
—Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
Bey and the crew scramble to fix the problem, do a quick wardrobe change, and have her back onstage before the momentum sags; her face never breaks.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2023
Sticking around as their approval ratings sag is a blow to collective morale.
—Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
China’s exports fell by 8.8% in August year-on-year, while imports contracted 7.3%, customs data showed on Thursday, increasing pressure on the country’s vast manufacturing sector as demand sags at home and abroad.
—Reuters, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023
The filter on the top reveals prominent wrinkles on her forehead and sags under her eyes, with Walsh reacting with skepticism.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 27 July 2023
Passages of time between scenes, though marked by apt interstitial music (sound design by Justin Ellington), are too often visually null, letting the narrative energy sag.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sag
Cite this Entry
“Sag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sag. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sag
1 of 2 verb
sagged; sagging
1
: to droop or sink below the normal or right level
2
: to become less firm or strong
saggy
adjective
ˈsag-ē
sag
2 of 2 noun1
: a sagging part or area
the sag in a rope
2
: an instance or amount of sagging
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