sway

IPA/sweɪ/
KK[swˈe]IPA/sweɪ/

sway — 動詞

  • swaypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • swayshe / she / it
  • swayedpast simple
  • swaying-ing form

1. to move slowly and gently from one side to the other, or to make something move

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

搖晃；擺動

緩慢地左右移動

to move slowly and gently from one side to the other, or to make something move in this way — for example, trees swaying in the breeze or a person swaying to music

例句

The long grass swayed gently in the afternoon breeze.

長長的草在午後的微風中輕輕搖晃。

intransitive: natural object as subject

As the music played, Vinícius swayed slowly from side to side.

音樂響起時，Vinícius 慢慢地左右搖擺。

同義詞
  • rock

    suggests a more back-and-forth movement, often with more force

  • swing

    implies a suspended object moving freely through an arc

文法句型

sway + adverb

sway + object + adverb

2. to make something or someone change position or direction, especially by applyin

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

使偏移

使物體改變位置或方向

to make something or someone change position or direction, especially by applying force or pressure from one side

例句

The sudden gust swayed the ladder and Marco nearly lost his balance.

突如其來的一陣風吹歪了梯子，Marco 差點失去平衡。

transitive: wind as agent causing deflection

Chidi swayed the heavy crate carefully to one side to reach the boxes behind it.

Chidi 小心地把沉重的木箱斜推到一邊，以便拿到後面的箱子。

transitive: person moving an object by tilting

同義詞
  • shift

    suggests moving something to a different position rather than tilting it

  • deflect

    implies changing the path of something already in motion

  • tip

    suggests causing something to lean or tilt, often until it falls

文法句型

sway + object

sway + object + adverb/preposition

用法筆記

The subject is usually a physical force (wind, weight, pressure) or a person applying such a force. This sense is always transitive — there is no intransitive version with this meaning.

3. to influence someone's opinion or decision so that they think or act differently

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

說服；影響

改變某人的決定或想法

to influence someone's opinion or decision so that they think or act differently than before — for example, swaying a voter with a strong argument or being swayed by emotion

例句

The senator's speech swayed several undecided voters before election day.

參議員的演說在選舉日前說服了幾位尚未決定的選民。

transitive: sway + person/group

Roya tried to sway her parents by showing them the school's excellent test results.

Roya 試著向父母展示那所學校優異的考試成績，希望影響他們的決定。

transitive: sway + person + by + reason

同義詞
  • persuade

    more direct and active — suggests using reasons and arguments to change someone's mind

  • convince

    suggests making someone believe something is true through evidence or logic

  • influence

    a broader term that can be positive or negative, direct or indirect

文法句型

sway + person

sway + person/group + into + doing

be swayed by + noun

用法筆記

Frequently used in the passive form 'be swayed by [something]' to describe someone whose opinion changed because of an argument, emotion, or influence. Unlike 'persuade', 'sway' often suggests emotional or indirect influence rather than active argument or logical reasoning.

常見錯誤

❌I swayed him to come to the party.
✅I persuaded him to come to the party.
💡'sway' is not typically used with a person as the direct object followed by a to-infinitive; use 'persuade' or 'convince' for that structure.

sway — 名詞