n. 1
Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side
I doubt I'll hold much sway with someone so powerful.
v. 1
To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; to warp.
judgment swayed by passion
v. 2
To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.
The trees swayed in the breeze.

Related words

Word family: swayful swayer
Phrases: sway bar

Forms

Plural: sways → powers, influences, controls, tilts…
Past participle: swayed
e.g. swayed → shaken, careened, rocked, rolled…

Choose the right word

Sway, Brandish, Sways or Brandishes?

Sway used transitively especially applies to motions of grace or dignity; brandish denotes a threatening or hostile motion; a monarch sways the scepter; the ruffian brandishes a club.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

influence Such magazines have a great influence on children.
tilt I tilt my head. Not the pawn, but the knight?
dominion Does mankind have dominion over animals and birds?

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
sway		rising
influence		steady
tilt		steady
dominion		steady
preponderance		falling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: move¹, turn¹, rock¹, rule¹, pull¹, roll¹, wave¹, bias², lean¹, bend¹, tilt¹, reel¹, warp¹, swag
5 letters: power², carry², shake¹, swing¹, reign¹, lurch¹, waver²
6 letters: direct², empire³, govern², induce², wobble², diddle², totter², careen²
7 letters: control², command², vibrate², incline², deviate³, stagger²
8 letters: persuade², dominion³, lordship², overrule³
9 letters: direction³, influence³, authority⁴, dominance³, prejudice³, fluctuate³, oscillate³, vacillate³
10 letters: government³, domination⁴, ascendancy⁴
11 letters: sovereignty³
12 letters: jurisdiction⁴
13 letters: preponderance³

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (bias² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: balancement
Català: balandreig