sag
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to sink or bend downward by weight or pressure, especially in the middle.
The roof sags.
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to hang down unevenly; droop.
Her skirt was sagging.
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to droop; hang loosely.
His shoulders sagged.
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to yield through weakness, lack of effort, or the like.
Our spirits began to sag.
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to decline, as in price.
The stock market sagged today.
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Nautical.
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(of a hull) to droop at the center or have excessive sheer because of structural weakness.
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to be driven to leeward; to make too much leeway.
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verb (used with object)
noun
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an act or instance of sagging.
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the degree of sagging.
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a place where anything sags; depression.
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a moderate decline in prices.
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Nautical.
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deflection downward of a hull amidships, due to structural weakness.
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noun
verb
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(also tr) to sink or cause to sink in parts, as under weight or pressure
the bed sags in the middle
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to fall in value
prices sagged to a new low
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to hang unevenly; droop
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(of courage, spirits, etc) to weaken; flag
noun
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.
The economy has seen little to no growth, and living standards have sagged in recent years.
Her cheeks sagged past her jaw and she was hunched over on a gnarled stick that shook under her hand.
From Literature
The home improvement market has sagged as a stalled housing market, high interest rates and economic uncertainty have led homeowners to delay remodeling and repair projects.
Resources groups that have not fared so well in 2025 -- iron ore behemoth Rio Tinto and Anglo American -- are ramping up production of copper to help offset sagging demand for steel and diamonds.
From Barron's
An index tracking contract signings to buy a home, which lead home closings by a month or two, sagged to a reading of 70.9 nationally in January, the trade group said.
From Barron's
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.
