Sag Definition & Meaning

American

British

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms SAG 1 American [sag] / sæg /

noun

1. Screen Actors Guild.

sag 2 American [sag] / sæg /

verb (used without object)

sagged, sagging

1. to sink or bend downward by weight or pressure, especially in the middle.

   The roof sags.

2. to hang down unevenly; droop.

   Her skirt was sagging.

3. to droop; hang loosely.

   His shoulders sagged.

4. to yield through weakness, lack of effort, or the like.

   Our spirits began to sag.

   Synonyms: weary, tire, flag, weaken

5. to decline, as in price.

   The stock market sagged today.

6. Nautical.

   1. (of a hull) to droop at the center or have excessive sheer because of structural weakness.

   2. to be driven to leeward; to make too much leeway.

verb (used with object)

sagged, sagging

1. to cause to sag.

noun

1. an act or instance of sagging.

2. the degree of sagging.

3. a place where anything sags; depression.

4. a moderate decline in prices.

5. Nautical.

   1. deflection downward of a hull amidships, due to structural weakness.

   2. leeway.

sag British / sæɡ /

verb

1. (also tr) to sink or cause to sink in parts, as under weight or pressure

   the bed sags in the middle

2. to fall in value

   prices sagged to a new low

3. to hang unevenly; droop

4. (of courage, spirits, etc) to weaken; flag

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. the act or an instance of sagging

   a sag in profits

2. nautical the extent to which a vessel's keel sags at the centre Compare hog hogged

3. 1. a marshy depression in an area of glacial till, chiefly in the US Middle West

   2. ( as modifier )

      sag and swell topography

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

• antisag adjective
• unsagging adjective

Etymology

Origin of sag

1375–1425; late Middle English saggen (v.), probably < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian sagga to move slowly (akin to Low German sacken to sink, Norwegian, Danish sakke, Swedish sacka, Icelandic sakka to slow up, fall behind)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It isn’t as if the stock sagged consistently.

From Barron's

His investment provided a jolt of support for Nike, which has been plotting a turnaround after losing ground to rivals and seeing sales sag.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, described the current picture as a jobless expansion, when GDP increases but the job market sags.

From The Wall Street Journal

As the dollar sagged the Japanese yen rallied, touching 115 yen per dollar by year end.

From MarketWatch

Derenne noticed some sagging on the roof and worn-out shingles during their first showing at the house the Johnsons ended up buying.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• cave in
• dip
• drop off
• fall off
• languish
• sink
• slide
• slip
• slump
• wilt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.