swagger

swagger
1 of 3
verb
swag·;ger ;swa-g;r
swaggered; swaggering ;swa-g(;-)ri;
Synonyms of swagger
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 ;swa-g;r-;r  noun
swaggeringly ;swa-g(;-)ri;-l;  adverb
swagger

2 of 3
noun
pluralswaggers
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 of swagger
Relevance
Verb

boast
brag
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
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
Two swaggering outlaws roll into a mining town and unleash a wave of cruelty.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
The timing of such self-reflection was notable, on the direct horizon of an AFC divisional-round matchup against a Bills team that’ll require calls-to-the-wall swaggering from Payton.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
Noun
Lee can’t kill the mood of anyone excited about Jewish sports swagger.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 18 Feb. 2026
This kind of intensity and swagger is fitting for a bird that symbolizes both danger and optimism, as well as survival.
—Jannelle Moore, Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The swagger Chelsea had not seen for so long was back.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
For a guy who claimed to be insecure about his vocal prowess, Ace is all swagger, peacocking his way through the city with a fistful of dollars and wicked ladies pursuing him.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of swagger was circa 1596
See more words from the same year