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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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outdated attitudes that still hold sway in some communities
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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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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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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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Cite this Entry
“Sways.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sways. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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