I. ˈsag, ˈsaa(ə)g, ˈsaig verb
( sagged ; sagged ; sagging ; sags )
Etymology: Middle English saggen, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish sacka to sag, settle down, Norwegian dialect sakka to sink, probably derivatives from the stem of Old Norse sökkva to sink — more at sink
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to sink or settle gradually from an established or normal position
frame store buildings … left to sag and gather cobwebs since lumbering operations stopped — American Guide Series: California
b. : to decline in intensity or vigor
spirits had sagged almost to the breaking point — W.H.Waggoner
c. : to decline from a thriving position
oil shares sagged owing to lack of fresh support — Financial Times (London)
cloth output and prices sag despite the … comeback in apparel — Wall Street Journal
2.
a. : to hang loosely : lose tautness (as from age or fatigue)
when his face sagged like this, worriment claimed it — O.B.Chidsey
b. : to lie or hang unevenly : droop to one side
the chair … sagged on one rocker — Ellen Glasgow
c. : to bend downward in the middle under its own or applied pressure
a black reticule that sagged under the weight of shapeless objects — Allen Tate
the clothesline sagged between its poles
d. : to fall from the lack or removal of muscular control
he sagged flabbily to his knees — George Orwell
e. : to flow after application to a vertical or sloping surface and produce irregular films — used of a paint or varnish
3. : to move ahead at a feeble plodding pace
the depression sagged along — Don Baines
4. : drift — used chiefly in the phrase sag to leeward
5. : to fail to stimulate or retain interest
his latest picture had sagged at the box office — E.L.Acken
though it sags in the middle, the novel is readable throughout — Walter Havighurst
transitive verb
: to cause to sag: as
a. : to cause (as a ship or timber) to curve downward in the middle usually as a result of improper loading or supporting
b. : to leave slack in (an electrical transmission line) to compensate for changes in temperature
Synonyms: see droop
II. noun
( -s )
1. : a tendency to drift (as of a ship to leeward) : drift
2. : a drop or depression below the surrounding area:
a. : a pass or gap in a ridge or mountain range : saddle
b. : a depression in an otherwise flat or gently sloping land surface
c. : a minor downwarped structure often with faults on one or more sides
d. : a sunken area in a roadbed or pipeline
3.
a. : a distortion of an airship in which the center bends down and both ends rise
b. : a bending of an object (as a chain) under its own weight or applied pressure
c. : a curve in the line of chained logs in a log boom caused by wind or current
4. : a temporary economic decline (as in the price of a particular commodity)
III. ˈsag
dialect Britain
variant of sedge
IV.
chiefly dialect
variant of saw