overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

swag.

To (cause to) sway.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˈswæɡ/[ˈswæɡ]/ˈsweɪ̯ɡ/[ˈsweɪ̯ɡ]
  1. To (cause to) sway.

    ambitransitive
  2. To droop; to sag.

    intransitive
  3. To decorate (something) with loops of draped fabric.

    transitive
  4. To install (a ceiling fan or light fixture) by means of a long cord running from the ceiling to an outlet, and suspended by hooks or similar.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Inherited from Middle English swagen, a late collateral form of *swawen possibly originating from Lancashire and Yorkshire (possibly continued in Scots swaw (“wave”); parallel to e.g. drag for draw), from Old Norse *svaga (“to swerve, sway”), of unclear origin. Compare dialectal Norwegian svaga (“to sway, swing, stagger”).

noun/ˈswæɡ/[ˈswæɡ]/ˈsweɪ̯ɡ/[ˈsweɪ̯ɡ]
  1. A loop of draped fabric.

  2. Something that droops like a swag.

  3. A low point or depression in land; especially: A place where water collects; a low, wet place where the land has settled.

  4. A low point or depression in land; especially: A pass, gap or sag in a mountain ridge.

Where this word comes from

Inherited from Middle English swagen, a late collateral form of *swawen possibly originating from Lancashire and Yorkshire (possibly continued in Scots swaw (“wave”); parallel to e.g. drag for draw), from Old Norse *svaga (“to swerve, sway”), of unclear origin. Compare dialectal Norwegian svaga (“to sway, swing, stagger”).

noun/ˈswæɡ/[ˈswæɡ]/ˈsweɪ̯ɡ/[ˈsweɪ̯ɡ]
  1. Style; fashionable appearance or manner.

    slang · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Clipping of swagger. A common folk etymology is that the word derives from an acronym for "she wants a gentleman", "secretly we are gay" or other phrases.

noun/ˈswæɡ/[ˈswæɡ]/ˈsweɪ̯ɡ/[ˈsweɪ̯ɡ]
  1. Stolen goods; the booty of a burglar or thief; boodle.

    uncountable
  2. Branded handout, freebies, or giveaways, often distributed at conventions; merchandise.

    informal · uncountable
  3. The possessions of a bushman or itinerant worker, tied up in a blanket and carried over the shoulder, sometimes attached to a stick.

    Australia · countable · dated
  4. A small single-person tent, usually foldable into an integral backpack.

    Australia · broadly · countable
  5. A large quantity (of something).

    Australia · New-Zealand · countable
  6. A shop and its goods; any quantity of goods.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From 18th c. British thieves' slang, from the noun use of Etymology 1 above, "a swaying, an uneven motion." A folk etymology, particularly for the handouts definition, is “stuff we all get”.

verb/ˈswæɡ/[ˈswæɡ]/ˈsweɪ̯ɡ/[ˈsweɪ̯ɡ]
  1. To travel on foot carrying a swag (possessions tied in a blanket).

    Australia · ambitransitive
  2. To transport stolen goods.

  3. To transport in the course of arrest.

Where this word comes from

From 18th c. British thieves' slang, from the noun use of Etymology 1 above, "a swaying, an uneven motion." A folk etymology, particularly for the handouts definition, is “stuff we all get”.

noun/ˈswæɡ/[ˈswæɡ]/ˈsweɪ̯ɡ/[ˈsweɪ̯ɡ]
  1. Alternative letter-case form of SWAG; a wild guess or ballpark estimate.

    alt-of
    I can take a swag at the answer, but it may not be right.
FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

swag has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

swag studioswag workshello, swag

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.