How to Use sway in a Sentence

sway

1 of 2 noun
  • He has come under the sway of terrorists.
  • The ancient Romans held sway over most of Europe.
  • Senegal has some sway of its own, too.
    — Christopher Hamill, New York Times, 15 June 2026
  • His stories have more sway and squish to them.
    — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
  • His stories have more sway and squish to them.
    — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2025
  • But for now, a rough consensus seems to hold sway.
    — Jonathan Zimmerman, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
  • Four broad scenarios seem to hold sway.
    — Davood Moradian, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Feelings sometimes have more sway than facts.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
  • For years, this policy held sway.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
  • The new board member could have some sway over the outcome of the budget vote.
    — Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
  • When the sway gets too risky, the captain closes some of the outer decks.
    — Akash Kapur, New Yorker, 12 May 2026
  • By midnight, the steady sway had sent us all into a deep and restful sleep.
    — Monisha Rajesh, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2023
  • Each of these three projects has its own sway in the new world that AI has brought us.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Steam whistles and dogbark enter him with the sway of the church bell.
    — Chen Yuhong, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
  • But in my new wife’s step and body all Those fading rhythms lingered and held sway.
    — Heather Wilhelm, National Review, 19 Jan. 2023
  • This would not be an America where the founding ideals hold much sway.
    — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025
  • That dragging sway of tempo that sounds like a porch sitting rocking chair.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The first lady holds the most sway in Biden’s decision, aides say.
    — Josh Wingrove, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Nov. 2022
  • When Carson held sway, late-night rivals were few and far between.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
  • Yet despite the distance between them, the sun still holds sway over the far-off planet.
    — Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Aug. 2023
  • The dumplings hold sway, and people are particular about how they're made.
    — Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2023
  • Still stylish today, the lightly repoussé forms have an easy, gentle sway.
    — Beth Bernstein, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023
  • In this new book, memory, and its absence, hold central sway.
    — Tahneer Oksman, Washington Post, 17 May 2023
  • So not just powerful people, but people whose voices have a lot of sway.
    — Clio Chang, Curbed, 13 Dec. 2023
  • Just be sure to remind them to take some time to enjoy the gentle sway of the hammock in the wind and fresh air.
    — Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024
  • But the truth of why a theory like geocentrism could hold sway for so long is far more complex.
    — Big Think, 30 Oct. 2025
  • As a result, a company with a higher price per share will have more sway over the index.
    — Alex Harring,jennifer Elias, CNBC, 23 June 2026
  • Our cultural knowledge gave us sway and access.
    — Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
  • But Clemson fans aren’t the only ones for whom the tradition holds sway.
    — Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025
  • That trend still holds sway in the workplaces of today – what are human resources, after all?
    — Bogdan Costea, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2023

sway

2 of 2 verb
  • The lawyer tried to sway the jury.
  • He swayed a moment before he fainted.
  • She persisted in her argument, but I wouldn't let her sway me.
  • The group seemed to help sway who went home.
    — Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • The little tooth plant swayed in the breeze.
    — Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Investors weren't swayed by the pitch.
    — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Sandy shores, a deep blue ocean, swaying palm trees?
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Those concerns were not enough to sway the state’s high court.
    — Jenna Russell, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2023
  • But Joy isn’t swayed by his appeal.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The Dutch were swayed in part by the weather.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
  • The waves crash along the rocks as grass in the dunes sway back in forth in the cool breeze.
    — David Wade, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
  • And no player could sway the outcome in one game?
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 May 2026
  • But one fruit fly paper was not enough to sway skeptics.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The beam swayed and tipped my head toward the cars below.
    — Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 29 Aug. 2025
  • One call sways the difference of the game.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • One that could sway a season either way.
    — Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
  • My sense was that Greg was trying to sway her to take his side.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Still, not everyone was swayed by the tweets.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Everyone danced and swayed, lazy smiles on their faces.
    — David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The sun is out, there’s a cool breeze, and the tree leaves are swaying in the breeze.
    — R29 Team, Refinery29, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Gently swayed you to and fro as its warmth oozed through you like lava.
    — New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • That sways decisions from time-to-time.
    — Mike Defabo, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • In what ways did the person get swayed by AI?
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Owens said that could sway the IRS — to a point.
    — Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The cobra now was swaying, too.
    — John McPhee, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Countless factors can sway this choice.
    — Anthony Vaccaro, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Their hands and hips swayed like ocean waves, graceful, aligned and precise.
    — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Grips the microphone, sways her hips.
    — Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
  • This kid was out of football for two years, but his love for the game never swayed.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Shurin wasn’t swayed by those arguments.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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