v. 1 wave, waver, swing, sweep, oscillate, undulate, reel, totter, swing or move to and fro or back and forth or from side to side or backwards and forwards, rock, fluctuate; bend, lean The reeds swayed in the breeze 2 move, incline, divert, tend, veer, tilt, lean, slant, bias; influence, persuade, impress, win over, bring round, convince, talk into The wind is causing the trees to sway towards the east We tried to sway him to our way of thinking.
n. 3 sweep, wave, swing, (period of) oscillation, libration There must be a sway of twenty feet in the top of that skyscraper 4 influence, control, power, command, authority, dominion, rule, sovereignty, leadership, mastery; grip, clutches, grasp His ambition was to get the mountain people under his sway