swagger

1 of 3

verb

swag·​ger ˈswa-gər 

swaggered; swaggering ˈswa-g(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner

especially : to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence

2

: boast, brag

transitive verb

: to force by argument or threat : bully

swaggerer

ˈswa-gər-ər 

noun

swaggeringly

ˈswa-g(ə-)riŋ-lē 

adverb

swagger

2 of 3

noun

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

Thierry has the swagger of a man who blew off conventional wisdom and turned out just fine.

—Ben O'Donnell

swagger

3 of 3

adjective

: marked by elegance or showiness : posh

Synonyms

Verb

• blow
• boast
• brag
• bull [slang]
• crow
• gasconade
• vapor
• vaunt

Examples of swagger in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

On the one hand, there is the impetuous, often swaggering young writer whose sometimes brash, sometimes tender personality vividly emerges from the hundred-odd poems that have come down to us. —Daniel Mendelsohn, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025

The Chiefs guys swaggers past, sits down with his girl & the rest is history. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2025

Noun

Ilia Malinin walked toward the ice for his free skate at the world championships with the swagger of a conquering hero. —Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 30 Mar. 2025

The Gators have the talent, the depth and swagger to win it all. —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb, Noun, and Adjective

probably from swag entry 1 + -er (as in chatter)

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

• swagger stick

Rhymes for swagger

• agger
• bagger
• dagger
• stagger

Kids Definition

swagger

1 of 2 verb

swag·​ger ˈswag-ər 

swaggered; swaggering -(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to behave in a very proud manner

especially : to walk with a proud strut

2

: boast entry 2 sense 1

swaggerer

-ər-ər 

noun

swaggeringly

-(ə-)riŋ-lē 

adverb

swagger

2 of 2 noun

: an act or instance of swaggering