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'Donnell
Synonyms
Example Sentences
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.
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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.
See More
Recent Examples on the WebKatie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023
All of this is very effective, and at times — particularly anything involving Stephen Root swaggering around in a very tight undershirt — quite funny, and a relief from the unrelenting bleakness of last week’s episode.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2023
My family was living in Kenya when a troop of 20 baboons swaggered into our backyard, causing a great scattering of shrieking children.
—Nathaniel J. Dominy, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2021
Here, the only gunshot in the entire movie occurs off-camera, while potentially dangerous scenes — when Jax swaggers into rooms where strangers might snuff her — are curiously lacking in tension.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Mar. 2023
Lyon/Toulouse band Tombouctou are pros at detouring: arty no-wave noise in some moments, swaggering primitive punk in others.
—Maria Sherman, SPIN, 28 Feb. 2023
The choreography was created for the company in 2019 and the dancers, wearing athletic clothing, present as a spirited team that segues from hip-hop swaggering to fluid extensions and floor work.
—Marcia Luttrellcontributor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2023
Can swagger cure New York’s COVID blues?
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2022
Juma Amazon Lodge, about 50 miles south of the city, is now fully powered by a new $400,000 solar plant, whose 268 double panels swagger nearly 40 feet into the air above the canopy (meaning no trees had to be cut).
—CNN, 1 Jan. 2023
Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2023
Nieves doesn't possess the charisma and swagger necessary to make Richie a convincing T-Bird-slash-rival for Jane's affections.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2023
The production follows a group of quirky contestants inspired by recurring tropes from the TV show, such as the hipster who only bakes with vegan ingredients or the endearing nan with an old-school swagger.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023
The Grizzlies’ aspirations to greatness aren’t unfounded: Morant’s star power gives the team a swagger and cockiness.
—Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2023
Both Jagger and Styles possess a certain swagger, and while the Rolling Stones singer is old enough to be the One Direction heartthrob's granddad, in the past their similar good looks have had some overzealous bloggers suggesting the boy bander could play Jagger in a biopic.
—Laura Lane, Peoplemag, 19 Dec. 2022
The swagger is unmistakable within a Crimson Tide men’s basketball program that beat a No. 1 team for the second time in three weeks.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 12 Dec. 2022
The footage had Scorsese’s trademark beat and swagger, with violence, period costumes and a few laughs courtesy of Jesse Plemons’ deadpan Washington, D.C., detective.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Apr. 2023
The hope comes from his swagger and influx of new recruits, including the top class of transfer players in the nation, according to 247Sports.
—Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2023
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Verb
Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett take us swaggering through the New York City streets via cinematographer Brett Jutkiewicz’s dizzying, disorienting camera.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023
All of this is very effective, and at times — particularly anything involving Stephen Root swaggering around in a very tight undershirt — quite funny, and a relief from the unrelenting bleakness of last week’s episode.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2023
My family was living in Kenya when a troop of 20 baboons swaggered into our backyard, causing a great scattering of shrieking children.
—Nathaniel J. Dominy, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2021
Here, the only gunshot in the entire movie occurs off-camera, while potentially dangerous scenes — when Jax swaggers into rooms where strangers might snuff her — are curiously lacking in tension.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Mar. 2023
Lyon/Toulouse band Tombouctou are pros at detouring: arty no-wave noise in some moments, swaggering primitive punk in others.
—Maria Sherman, SPIN, 28 Feb. 2023
The choreography was created for the company in 2019 and the dancers, wearing athletic clothing, present as a spirited team that segues from hip-hop swaggering to fluid extensions and floor work.
—Marcia Luttrellcontributor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2023
Can swagger cure New York’s COVID blues?
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2022
Juma Amazon Lodge, about 50 miles south of the city, is now fully powered by a new $400,000 solar plant, whose 268 double panels swagger nearly 40 feet into the air above the canopy (meaning no trees had to be cut).
—CNN, 1 Jan. 2023
Noun
Tops on Conroy’s agenda: naming the coach who’ll replace Darryl Sutter, with said replacement being the guy to tease that swagger back out of Huberdeau, who is about to start an eight-year deal that carries a whopping $10.5 million cap hit.
—Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2023
Nieves doesn't possess the charisma and swagger necessary to make Richie a convincing T-Bird-slash-rival for Jane's affections.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2023
The production follows a group of quirky contestants inspired by recurring tropes from the TV show, such as the hipster who only bakes with vegan ingredients or the endearing nan with an old-school swagger.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023
The Grizzlies’ aspirations to greatness aren’t unfounded: Morant’s star power gives the team a swagger and cockiness.
—Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2023
Both Jagger and Styles possess a certain swagger, and while the Rolling Stones singer is old enough to be the One Direction heartthrob's granddad, in the past their similar good looks have had some overzealous bloggers suggesting the boy bander could play Jagger in a biopic.
—Laura Lane, Peoplemag, 19 Dec. 2022
The swagger is unmistakable within a Crimson Tide men’s basketball program that beat a No. 1 team for the second time in three weeks.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 12 Dec. 2022
The footage had Scorsese’s trademark beat and swagger, with violence, period costumes and a few laughs courtesy of Jesse Plemons’ deadpan Washington, D.C., detective.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Apr. 2023
The hope comes from his swagger and influx of new recruits, including the top class of transfer players in the nation, according to 247Sports.
—Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2023
See More
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.
Word History
First Known Use
Verb
circa 1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
1879, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing swagger
Dictionary Entries Near swagger
Cite this Entry
“Swagger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swagger. Accessed 9 Jul. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on swagger
Nglish: Translation of swagger for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of swagger for Arabic Speakers
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