sag

1 of 3

verb

ˈsag 

sagged; sagging

intransitive verb

1

: to droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness

2

a

: to lose firmness, resiliency, or vigor

spirits sagging from overwork

b

: to decline especially from a thriving state

3

: drift

4

: to fail to stimulate or retain interest

transitive verb

: to cause to sag : leave slack in

sag

2 of 3

noun

1

: a tendency to drift (as of a ship to leeward)

2

a

: a sagging part

the sag in a rope

b

: a drop or depression below the surrounding area

c

: an instance or amount of sagging

3

: a temporary decline (as in the price of a commodity)

SAG

3 of 3

abbreviation

ˈsag 

Screen Actors Guild

Synonyms

Verb

• droop
• flag
• hang
• loll
• swag
• wilt

Noun

• droop
• hang
• slack
• slackness

Examples of sag in a Sentence

Verb

The roof is sagging in the middle.

The economy began to sag.

As all our efforts failed, our spirits sagged.

Noun

if there's too much sag in the rod, the curtains will drag on the floor

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Last season, Stewarts Creek coach Ben Caudill sagged his shoulder on the sideline after a fairly competitive 28-14 loss to Ravenwood in the first round. —Tyler Palmateer, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024

Your shoulders and hips shouldn’t be sagging, and your butt shouldn’t be sticking up in the air. —Melanie Radzicki McManus, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

Noun

There’s a bit of a sag around the halfway point, as Baylin’s screenplay lets the audience get out ahead of the story developments. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 5 Dec. 2024

Koch’s Jeff is a little too Dennis Reynolds without the farcical absurdity of Always Sunny’s context, and whenever the play hops away from Darius and Kenneth and over to this very bad editor’s nostalgia trip, the action sags. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English saggen; akin to Middle Low German sacken to sink, Norwegian dialect sakka

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sag

1 of 2 verb

ˈsag 

sagged; sagging

1

: to droop or sink below the normal or right level

2

: to become less firm or strong

saggy

ˈsag-ē

adjective

sag

2 of 2 noun

1

: a sagging part or area

the sag in a rope

2

: an instance or amount of sagging