swagger
UK /ˈswæɡ.ə/ · US /ˈswæɡ.ɚ/ verb, noun, adjective
Forms swaggers swaggering swaggered
- verb To behave (especially to walk or carry oneself) in a pompous, superior manner.
- verb To boast or brag noisily; to bluster; to bully.
- verb To walk with a swaying motion.
- noun Confidence, pride.
- noun A bold or arrogant strut.
- noun A prideful boasting or bragging.
- adjective (slang, archaic) Fashionable; trendy.
- noun (Australia, New Zealand, now historical) Someone carrying a swag; a swagman.
Synonyms
flaunt preen swank aura farm boulevardier cut a wide swath cut it fat cut round exhibitionize figure away flamboast flex floss fluff one's feathers gallery high-side let one's nuts hang ostent ostentate showboat swagman swaggie strut prance tittup ruffle sashay cock browbeat bully
Etymology
A frequentative form of swag (“to sway”), first attested in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595), see quotations.
From swag + -er.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To walk with a swaying motion; hence, to walk and act in a pompous, consequential manner.
- verb To boast or brag noisily; to be ostentatiously proud or vainglorious; to bluster; to bully.
- verb To bully. [R.] Swift.
- noun The act or manner of a swaggerer.
Etymology [Freq. of swag.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “swagger”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details