sways 1 of 2

noun

plural of sway
1
as in effects
the power to bring about a result on another under the sway of euphoria, she offered to take us all out to dinner in celebration of her new job

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in influences
the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly outdated attitudes that still hold sway in some communities

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in controls
the right or means to command or control others a time when Rome held sway over a vast empire that stretched from Britain to the Near East

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sways

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sway
1
as in affects
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response how can you not be swayed by that precious kitten, meowing as if to say, "Please take me home with you?"

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lurches
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions the way the ski lift was swaying in the wind made me nervous

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3
as in governs
archaic to exercise authority or power over an epic novel set in the days when Rome swayed the Western world

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sways
Verb
The set moves in and out, another set rolls over, and another is on a gimbal that sways as the whale moves. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026 But forcing heavy steel trains onto a floating highway that rolls, sways, and shifts with the tides was widely considered an invitation to disaster. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2026 One combat sequence at the end is genuinely excellent because the film puts actual creative effort into staging a knife-versus-ax duel on a gangplank that sways back and forth over the water. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 The main road home is closed, so players must detour through a wild valley full of hills, rivers and angry wildlife, while the janky physics turn every bump into potential disaster as the RV sways, tips and flips with ease. — Jason Bennett, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2026 As the water sways and the flowers blow, 120 wooden crosses now line the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. — Marissa Armas, CBS News, 30 June 2026 In its dynamic equilibrium, our system sways like a grand old tree in the wind. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Republican political consultants are skeptical that Paxton’s place on the ballot sways the needle for Democrats. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 June 2026 Now the castle is in ruins (though with explanatory signage), with hiking paths, a museum, and a 1,200-foot pedestrian suspension bridge that sways 300 feet above the valley floor. — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sways
  1. effects
  2. influences
  3. controls
  4. affects
  5. lurches
  6. governs
  7. impacts
  8. leverages
Noun
  • Forecasters say this year's could be among the strongest on record, and its effects are already being felt across South America and far beyond.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Engineers need experimental evidence to understand those effects and refine their designs.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of effects
Noun
  • The retreat in mill buying may have been a factor that sent prices lower, but there could be other influences.
    — SJ Guest Editorial, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Research consistently shows that trust is one of the strongest influences on charitable giving.
    — Karen Cochran, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of influences
Noun
  • China is considering export controls that could check the global spread of its AI models and chips, as Beijing increases oversight of its burgeoning tech sector.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Untreated cotton samples were placed in those same locations as controls.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of controls
Verb
  • This affects the product fit cycle, from shoe development to the retail fitting floor.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The California Department of Public Health said the recall affects pastries with potential exposure to six allergens, including tree nuts, eggs, milk and wheat.
    — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of affects
Verb
  • The alternative is a region that lurches from crisis to crisis, and from one extreme to another.
    — DAN RESTREPO, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
  • With a cigarette dangling from her lips, ashes and curse words ever ready to fall, Angela lurches around the house critical of everything and everyone.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of lurches
Verb
  • While Boise officials decide zoning and land use, ACHD governs local streets, and the Idaho Transportation Department controls State Street itself, legally a portion of State Highway 44.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 16 Oct. 2026
  • With different-sized bubbles, the experiment showed that the size of the largest bubble governs the flow direction.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of governs
Noun
  • The transition to non-fossil energy has its own inflationary impacts, from the costs to heavy industry of adopting new technologies to the production costs of critical minerals.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The findings suggest the impacts of losing Thwaites might have been underestimated.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of impacts
Noun
  • And Soorty’s Rebellion Noir concept leverages overdyeing, creating dark, moody denim.
    — Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • According to Archer, Halo leverages technologies refined through nearly eight years of electric aircraft research and testing.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 23 July 2026
Definition of leverages

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Cite this Entry

“Sways.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sways. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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