English Dictionary

Definition of “sag

sag (sæɡPronunciation for sag

Definitions

verb

Word forms: sags, sagging, sagged
(mainly intr)
  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

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 (sense 6) , hogged
    1. a marshy depression in an area of glacial till, chiefly in the US Middle West
    2. ((as modifier)  ⇒ sag and swell topography 

Word Origin

C15: from Scandinavian; compare Swedish sacka,  Dutch zakken,  Norwegian dialect sakka  to subside, Danish sakke to lag behind

Usage examples

  • It made Christine feel impatient just to see his shoulders sag.
    Richard Francis, PROSPECT HILL (2003)
  • That the Indian team rode this storm and never let their shoulders sag even as the match see-sawed is their most handsome reward.
    India Today (1996)
  • Q MY house was built in the early'80s and has a concrete tiled roof, which has started to sag in the middle.
    Courier, Sunday Mail (2005)
  • By running alongside me, Mike makes sure the reps don't sag in the middle.
    Glasgow Herald (2001)
  • With one or two deeper breaths and sighs feel the whole body sinking into deeper relaxation - sigh... sink... and sag.
    Turner, Roger Newman, The Hayfever Handbook - a summer survival guide (1988)

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