Definition

1. Verb:

   • To bend, sink, or curve downward in the middle, often because of weight, pressure, or lack of support.
   • To become weaker, less firm, or less active; to decline or diminish.

2. Noun:

   • A downward bend, curve, or dip in something that should be flat or taut.
   • A temporary decline or weakening.

Usage

• As a verb: It describes the physical action of something drooping or the figurative action of something weakening.
• As a noun: It names the state or instance of drooping or declining.

Examples

• Verb:

  • The old bookshelf began to sag under the weight of the heavy encyclopedias.
  • Her spirits started to sag after hearing the disappointing news.
  • The rope will sag if you don't pull it tight.

• Noun:

  • There is a noticeable sag in the middle of the mattress.
  • The economy experienced a sag in consumer confidence last quarter.

Advanced Usage

• "sag under the weight of": To bend or droop because something is too heavy.
  • The bridge sags under the weight of the trucks.
• "sag in the middle": To have a dip or curve in the center part.
  • The old couch sags in the middle where everyone sits.

Variants and Related Words

• Saggy (adj): Hanging down loosely; not firm or tight.
  • The elastic in his old socks was saggy.
• Sagging (adj/n): The process or state of drooping.
  • The sagging roof needed immediate repair.

Synonyms

• Verb: Droop, sink, slump, dip, decline, weaken.
• Noun: Dip, slump, downturn, decline.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Sag" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. The meaning is typically contained in the single verb.)

Related Idioms

• "sag like a sack of potatoes": To collapse or sit down in a very limp, heavy, and ungraceful manner.
  • After the long hike, he sagged into the chair like a sack of potatoes.

Noun

1. a shape that sags
   • there was a sag in the chair seat

Verb

1. cause to sag
   • The children sagged their bottoms down even more comfortably
2. droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness