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'DonnellSynonyms
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.
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 WebDavid Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2024
Progressed from loafing here and there with scant dollars in my pocket, to swaggering to and fro with a bankroll swelling my sock.
—Mitchell S. Jackson, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for swagger 
Verb
She’s returned for the film version, and from the moment her Regina swaggers into the school lunchroom, the actor owns this film.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2024
Progressed from loafing here and there with scant dollars in my pocket, to swaggering to and fro with a bankroll swelling my sock.
—Mitchell S. Jackson, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for swagger
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swagger.' 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 swagger
Cite this Entry
“Swagger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swagger. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
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