sway
gb/swˈeɪ/ us/swˈeɪ/
B1
English
~ 5700
befolyásol, eltántorít, rávesz, leng, hajladozik, ringatózik, befolyás, ringás, lengés, ringat, himbál, ural, uralkodik
VERB
B2
1
Usage pattern:
to sway [someone / a group]
The speech was designed to sway undecided voters.
A beszéd célja az volt, hogy meggyőzze a bizonytalan szavazókat.
No amount of pressure could sway her from her original plan.
Semmilyen nyomás nem tudta eltántorítani az eredeti tervétől.
He tried to sway the committee by highlighting the risks.
Emotional stories are often used to sway public opinion.
The data clearly swayed the board toward approving the project.
Learner examples
The ad tried to sway people to buy the product.
A reklám arra próbálta rávenni az embereket, hogy megvegyék a terméket.
Her friends could not sway him; he stayed at home.
A barátai nem tudták meggyőzni; otthon maradt.
The teacher’s words swayed the class to support the idea.
Money should not sway your choice of a partner.
He was easily swayed by what he saw on social media.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *sway* only with a physical meaning like *move side to side* and forget that it is very common with the abstract meaning *influence* (e.g., *sway voters*, *sway public opinion*). They may also say *sway someone to do something* when *persuade* or *convince* would sound more natural in very formal writing, although it is acceptable in speech.
Meaning
influence someone's opinion or choice
Collocations
sway public opinion
|sway voters
|sway the jury
|sway the decision
|easily swayed
|sway someone's mind
Synonyms
influence (More general and neutral; does not always imply a strong or emotional effect.)
|
persuade (Focuses more on successfully convincing someone, often through reasons or arguments.)
Antonyms
resist (Describes not being influenced or changed by attempts to sway you.)
|
ignore (Describes choosing not to be influenced by something or someone.)
Themes
communication
|politics
|business
|emotions
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make someone change their opinion or decision.
To strongly influence what someone thinks or decides to do.
VERB
B1
2
Usage pattern:
to sway
Tall grasses swayed in the evening breeze.
A magas fűszálak hajladoztak az esti szellőben.
The bridge began to sway slightly under the weight of the crowd.
A híd a tömeg súlya alatt enyhén lengeni kezdett.
They stood together, gently swaying to the music.
The chandelier swayed every time a train passed underground.
As the boat rocked, passengers swayed from side to side.
Learner examples
The trees sway when the wind is strong.
Erős szélben a fák hajladoznak.
The baby smiled as the chair swayed slowly.
A baba mosolygott, miközben a szék lassan ringatózott.
We swayed together on the dance floor.
The old sign swayed above the small shop.
People on the bus swayed when it stopped suddenly.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse *sway* and *swing*. *Sway* is usually gentler and smaller, often caused by wind, music, or a light movement, while *swing* often suggests a bigger or faster motion, like a playground swing.
Meaning
move gently side to side
Collocations
sway in the wind
|sway back and forth
|sway gently
|sway to the music
|trees swayed
|crowd swayed
Synonyms
swing (Suggests a wider or more energetic movement than *sway*.)
|
rock (Often implies a back-and-forth movement that may be stronger or caused by an outside force.)
Antonyms
stand still (Describes not moving at all, the opposite of swaying.)
|
stay steady (Emphasizes remaining firm and unmoving.)
Themes
nature
|daily life
|movement
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To move slowly from side to side in a gentle way.
To move or swing slowly and gently from side to side or back and forth while remaining in roughly the same place.
NOUN
B2
3
befolyás
B2
Usage pattern:
to have sway over [someone / something]
Tech companies now hold enormous sway over how we get our news.
A technológiai cégeknek ma óriási befolyásuk van arra, hogyan tájékozódunk.
For years, the party had little sway in rural areas.
A pártnak évekig alig volt befolyása a vidéki térségekben.
He fell under the sway of a powerful religious leader.
Money has too much sway in modern politics.
Her personal charm gave her considerable sway in the office.
Learner examples
Big companies have a lot of sway over prices.
A nagyvállalatoknak nagy befolyásuk van az árakra.
He has no real sway in the group.
Nincs valódi befolyása a csoportban.
The coach has strong sway over the team.
As a child, she was under her father's sway.
Social media has great sway today.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the noun *sway* with the verb and write *He has sways over them*; the noun is usually uncountable in this sense and used in fixed phrases like *have sway*, *hold sway*, *under the sway of*.
Meaning
influence or control over others
Collocations
hold sway
|have sway over
|under the sway of
|political sway
|moral sway
Synonyms
influence (Most common general word; can be weaker than *sway*.)
|
power (Stresses ability to control; can include legal or physical force, not just influence.)
Antonyms
weakness (Suggests a lack of power or influence.)
|
helplessness (Emphasizes having no control over events or people.)
Themes
politics
|society
|business
|relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
The power to influence or control people or things.
Strong influence, control, or power over what people think or do.
NOUN
B1
4
Usage pattern:
the sway of [something]
The gentle sway of the train made her sleepy.
A vonat finom ringása elálmosította.
He moved with the natural sway of a dancer.
Egy táncos természetes ringásával mozgott.
I felt the slow sway of the boat as we left the harbor.
The sway of the crowd made it hard to stand still.
A slight sway in the building alarmed the residents.
Learner examples
The sway of the car made me sick.
Az autó ringásától rosszul lettem.
She liked the slow sway of the swing.
Tetszett neki a hinta lassú lengése.
We felt the sway of the ship in the storm.
The sway of the music helped him relax.
I watched the sway of the tall trees.
Common mistake:
Learners may say *make a sway* instead of using *sway* as an uncountable or countable noun in set phrases like *the sway of the boat* or *a gentle sway*.
Meaning
side-to-side motion
Collocations
a gentle sway
|the sway of the boat
|the sway of the trees
|with a slight sway
|rocking and sway
Synonyms
swing (Movement can be wider or stronger than a typical sway.)
|
rocking (Often used for repeated back-and-forth movements, especially of boats or chairs.)
Antonyms
stillness (Describes the absence of movement.)
|
stability (Emphasizes remaining firm without swaying.)
Themes
movement
|nature
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A slow movement from side to side in one place.
A slow, usually gentle movement from side to side or back and forth while staying in roughly the same place.
VERB
B2
5
Usage pattern:
to sway [something / someone]
She swayed the baby in her arms until he fell asleep.
A karjában ringatta a babát, amíg el nem aludt.
He swayed his body to the rhythm of the drums.
A dobok ritmusára ringatta a testét.
The dancers swayed their hips in perfect time.
Strong hands swayed the ladder as workers climbed up.
The wind swayed the sign so hard that it almost broke.
Learner examples
She swayed the baby from side to side.
Ide-oda ringatta a babát.
He swayed the chair with his foot.
A lábával ringatta a széket.
The music swayed their bodies.
The wind swayed the old door.
They swayed the rope slowly.
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse *move* instead of *sway* when a gentle side-to-side motion is meant, or they may forget that this sense of *sway* can take a direct object (e.g., *She swayed the baby*).
Meaning
make something move side to side
Collocations
sway the crowd
|sway her hips
|sway his body
|sway the branches
|gently sway the baby
Synonyms
rock (Often suggests a stronger or more repeated back-and-forth movement.)
|
swing (Can suggest a wider movement or movement on a fixed point, like a hinge.)
Antonyms
steady (As a verb, means to make something stop moving and become stable.)
Themes
movement
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make something move slowly from side to side.
To cause something to move slowly from side to side or back and forth while it remains in roughly the same place.
VERB
C1
LITERARY
6
Usage pattern:
to sway [a place / a people]
For centuries, foreign powers swayed the region.
Évszázadokon át idegen hatalmak uralták a térséget.
A small elite once swayed the entire nation.
Egy szűk elit egykor az egész nemzetet uralta.
In the legend, the dark king sways half the known world.
The dynasty swayed the island until it fell to invaders.
He dreamed of one day swaying the city with his ideas.
Learner examples
The king swayed the land for many years.
A király sok éven át uralkodott az ország felett.
In the story, one family sways the whole country.
A történetben egyetlen család uralja az egész országot.
Long ago, one empire swayed many smaller states.
A rich group swayed the city in the past.
In this book, a queen sways the world.
Common mistake:
Learners may not recognize this more literary use and may misread *swayed the nation* as only *moved the nation emotionally* rather than *ruled or strongly controlled it* in historical or poetic contexts.
Meaning
rule or dominate (literary)
Collocations
sway the empire
|sway the kingdom
|sway the world
|sway the nation
Synonyms
rule (More common and straightforward; does not carry the slightly poetic tone of *sway*.)
|
dominate (Stresses strong or sometimes harsh control.)
Antonyms
submit (Means to yield to someone else’s control rather than exercising control yourself.)
Themes
history
|politics
|literature
|law
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To rule or have strong power over people or an area.
To rule, dominate, or exercise authority over a place or group of people.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sway
IPA
GB/swˈeɪ/
US/swˈeɪ/
Syllables & stress
sway (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (sway)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: sway
- Plural: sway
Verb
- Base: sway
- 3rd Person Singular: sways
- Present Participle: swaying
- Past: swayed
Word family
Forms
sways
verb
swaying
verb
swayed
verb
Expressions
be swayed by
1/bˈi swˈeɪd bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
have your opinion influenced
To let something influence your opinion or decision.
Examples
- Voters may be swayed by last-minute news.
- Try not to be swayed by the loudest voices in the room.
- She was easily swayed by her friends’ suggestions.
hold sway
1/hˈoʊld swˈeɪ/
idiom
have strong influence or control
To have strong influence or control in a place or situation.
Examples
- For decades, one party held sway in the region.
- Fast food still holds sway over many children's diets.
- Old habits hold sway in this company, even after many changes.
sway back and forth
1/swˈeɪ bˈæk ˈænd fˈɔɹθ/
fixed phrase
move repeatedly side to side
To move again and again from one side to the other in a slow way, without going far.
Examples
- The children swayed back and forth on the swing.
- She sat on the edge of the bed, swaying back and forth.
- The tall building swayed back and forth during the earthquake.
sway in the breeze
1/swˈeɪ ˈɪn ðə bɹˈiz/
fixed phrase
move gently in the wind
To move gently from side to side because a light wind is blowing.
Examples
- The flowers swayed in the breeze outside the window.
- Palm trees swayed in the breeze along the beach.
- Colorful flags swayed in the breeze above the street.
sway to the music
1/swˈeɪ tə ðə mjˈuzɪk/
fixed phrase
move gently in time with music
To move your body gently from side to side while listening to music.
Examples
- Couples swayed to the music under the lights.
- She closed her eyes and swayed to the music.
- They stood together, quietly swaying to the music.
under the sway of
1/ˈʌndɚ ðə swˈeɪ əv/
idiom
strongly controlled or influenced
Strongly controlled or influenced by someone or something.
Examples
- The city remains under the sway of powerful gangs.
- As a teenager, he was under the sway of a radical group.
- Many people are under the sway of online rumors without checking facts.