as in influenced
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1
as in affected
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response
how can you not be swayed by that precious kitten, meowing as if to say, "Please take me home with you?"
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2
as in lurched
to make a series of unsteady side-to-side motions
the way the ski lift was swaying in the wind made me nervous
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3
as in ruled
archaic
to exercise authority or power over
an epic novel set in the days when Rome swayed the Western world
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Recent Examples of swayed
Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
When betting on a startup’s future potential, Graham is typically more swayed by his impression of its founders than the idea behind their business, the co-founder of startup accelerator Y Combinator wrote in a series of posts on social media platform X on August 10.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
Business executives, at least some, are less swayed by the hype and more level-headed about the costs and benefits of using AI.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Vanessa Romo, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
The criticism, from Shirley, his supporters, and California Republicans, has not swayed Democratic state lawmakers.
—Andrew Graham
april 26, Sacbee.com, 26 Apr. 2026
Here’s a breakdown of the three themes that swayed Wall Street over the past five sessions.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2026
Assaidi, wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, swayed in front of the judge, but said nothing before he was released.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
His team used a run-heavy, double-wing offense, but his coach swayed him to put together a highlight reel to start the recruiting process.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2026
Bryan stretched it out across something close to 20 minutes, weaving in introductions of his band members, letting each take a turn at showing off their prowess, while the crowd jumped, shouted and swayed in unison.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 19 Apr. 2026
The readers are leaning skeptical, but they could have been swayed by stronger evidence of lasting life in Auburn’s script.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Cirie, who managed to return to camp after finding the phoenix coconut in time, swayed the vote away from Devins and Aubry in an effort to eliminate two players in the dominant alliance.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
As fans stood for the opening run, a sprawling 23-piece backing ensemble — including six band members, eight backing vocalists plus returning Church muse Joanna Cotten, and a mini-orchestra with four horns and four strings — some swayed.
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
When betting on a startup’s future potential, Graham is typically more swayed by his impression of its founders than the idea behind their business, the co-founder of startup accelerator Y Combinator wrote in a series of posts on social media platform X on August 10.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
Business executives, at least some, are less swayed by the hype and more level-headed about the costs and benefits of using AI.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
They were swayed by a local program launched by city-LAB UCLA, a center founded by the University of California, Los Angeles' Architecture and Urban Design Department, which included a showcase of six prefab housing options and a guide to help navigate the process and secure financing.
—Vanessa Romo, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
The criticism, from Shirley, his supporters, and California Republicans, has not swayed Democratic state lawmakers.
—Andrew Graham
april 26, Sacbee.com, 26 Apr. 2026
Here’s a breakdown of the three themes that swayed Wall Street over the past five sessions.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2026
Assaidi, wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, swayed in front of the judge, but said nothing before he was released.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
His team used a run-heavy, double-wing offense, but his coach swayed him to put together a highlight reel to start the recruiting process.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2026
Bryan stretched it out across something close to 20 minutes, weaving in introductions of his band members, letting each take a turn at showing off their prowess, while the crowd jumped, shouted and swayed in unison.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 19 Apr. 2026
The readers are leaning skeptical, but they could have been swayed by stronger evidence of lasting life in Auburn’s script.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Cirie, who managed to return to camp after finding the phoenix coconut in time, swayed the vote away from Devins and Aubry in an effort to eliminate two players in the dominant alliance.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swayed
Verb
-
At the time, Polis acknowledged the need for tighter regulations but said he was influenced to reject the bill after Uber threatened to leave the state if the bill passed.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
But his style, admitted Dupré, has always been heavily influenced by Travis — which can be a challenge when trying to maintain his own identity as an artist, while also honoring Travis' legacy.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wembanyama lurched forward, toppled and slammed the right side of his face on the floor.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
When robots lurched, slipped, and occasionally froze mid-stride at the 2026 Beijing half-marathon on April 19, the internet quickly turned the spectacle into a meme.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the first inning on April 18, Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo challenged an 0-1 splitter that the umpire ruled a ball.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Premier Giorgia Meloni’s government made the decision after an Italian court ruled this month that Xu Zewei could be extradited, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity.—
Donato Paolo Mancini,
Bloomberg,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the Pineland Road wildfire, burning since April 18, was 23% contained at 32,541 acres affected.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Around 900 flights each day are affected by GPS interference, according to Benoit Figuet, a research associate at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and founder of SkAI Data Services, which since 2024 has tracked such incidents on its site GPSWise.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Haitian immigrants became eligible after an earthquake rocked the country in 2010.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Zack Bolduc and Cole Caufield, on the power play, had spotted Montreal a 2-0 lead as the Bell Centre absolutely rocked again in the anticipation and hope that perhaps their team might take a 3-1 lead over the favoured Lightning.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Much of Venezuela’s gold production originates in the Orinoco Mining Arc, a vast and sparsely governed region in the south where state control is limited.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
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Rocha Moya, a member of the Sheinbaum's left-leaning Morena party and close ally of her predecessor, has governed the violent state since 2021.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But as the left grows increasingly distrustful of big tech companies, progressives aren’t convinced of the moguls’ sincerity.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Jain is not even convinced that BTSP should be categorized as a non-Hebbian type of learning.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Senior midfielder Peyton Brolley, Mane’s sister, continues to be impressed by her teammate and sibling.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Frenchman was a constant threat and impressed with his silky link-up play.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swayed. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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