Sway vs. Influence

The act of swaying; a swaying motion; a swing or sweep of a weapon.

A rocking or swinging motion.

Example: ‘The old song caused a little sway in everyone in the room.’;

Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side

Example: ‘I doubt I'll hold much sway with someone so powerful.’;

Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.

Rule; dominion; control; power.

A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.

The maximum amplitude of a vehicle's lateral motion.

To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward; to rock.

Example: ‘sway to the music;’; ‘The trees swayed in the breeze.’;

To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield.

Example: ‘to sway the sceptre’;

To influence or direct by power, authority, persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide. Compare persuade.

Example: ‘Do you think you can sway their decision?’;

To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; warp.

Example: ‘reeds swayed by the wind;’; ‘judgment swayed by passion’;

(nautical) To hoist (a mast or yard) into position.

Example: ‘to sway up the yards’;

To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.

To have weight or influence.

To bear sway; to rule; to govern.

To move or wield with the hand; to swing; to wield; as, to sway the scepter.

Example: ‘As sparkles from the anvil rise,When heavy hammers on the wedge are swayed.’;

To influence or direct by power and authority; by persuasion, or by moral force; to rule; to govern; to guide.

Example: ‘The will of man is by his reason swayed.’; ‘She could not sway her house.’; ‘This was the raceTo sway the world, and land and sea subdue.’;

To cause to incline or swing to one side, or backward and forward; to bias; to turn; to bend; warp; as, reeds swayed by wind; judgment swayed by passion.

Example: ‘As bowls run true by being madeOn purpose false, and to be swayed.’; ‘Let not temporal and little advantages sway you against a more durable interest.’;

To hoist; as, to sway up the yards.

To be drawn to one side by weight or influence; to lean; to incline.

Example: ‘The balance sways on our part.’;

To move or swing from side to side; or backward and forward.

To have weight or influence.

Example: ‘The example of sundry churches . . . doth sway much.’;

To bear sway; to rule; to govern.

Example: ‘Hadst thou swayed as kings should do.’;

The act of swaying; a swaying motion; the swing or sweep of a weapon.

Example: ‘With huge two-handed sway brandished aloft.’;

Influence, weight, or authority that inclines to one side; as, the sway of desires.

Preponderance; turn or cast of balance.

Example: ‘ExpertWhen to advance, or stand, or turn the swayOf battle.’;

Rule; dominion; control.

Example: ‘When vice prevails, and impious men bear sway,The post of honor is a private station.’;

A switch or rod used by thatchers to bind their work.

controlling influence

pitching dangerously to one side

move back and forth or sideways;

Example: ‘the ship was rocking’; ‘the tall building swayed’; ‘She rocked back and forth on her feet’;

move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner;

Example: ‘He swung back’;

win approval or support for;

Example: ‘Carry all before one’; ‘His speech did not sway the voters’;

cause to move back and forth;

Example: ‘rock the cradle’; ‘rock the baby’; ‘the wind swayed the trees gently’;

The power to affect, control or manipulate something or someone; the ability to change the development of fluctuating things such as conduct, thoughts or decisions.

Example: ‘I have absolutely no influence over him.’;

An action exerted by a person or thing with such power on another to cause change.

Example: ‘I'm not able to exercise influence over him.’;

A person or thing exerting such power or action.

Example: ‘He has been a great influence on the voters during the elections.’;

(astrology) An element believed to determine someone's character or individual tendencies, caused by the position of the stars and planets at the time of one's birth.

(obsolete) The action of flowing in; influx.

(electricity) Electrostatic induction.

(transitive) To have an effect on by using gentle or subtle action; to exert an influence upon; to modify, bias, or sway; to persuade or induce.

Example: ‘The politician wants to influence the public.’; ‘I must admit that this book influenced my outlook on life.’;

(intransitive) To exert, make use of one's influence.

To cause to flow in or into; infuse; instill.

A flowing in or upon; influx.

Example: ‘God hath his influence into the very essence of all things.’;

Hence, in general, the bringing about of an effect, physical or moral, by a gradual process; controlling power quietly exerted; agency, force, or tendency of any kind which affects, modifies, or sways; as, the influence which the sun exerts on animal and vegetable life; the influence of education on the mind; the influence, according to astrologers, of the stars over affairs.

Example: ‘Astrologers call the evil influences of the stars, evil aspects.’; ‘Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?’; ‘She said : "Ah, dearest lord! what evil starOn you hath frown'd, and poured, his influence bad?"’;

Power or authority arising from elevated station, excelence of character or intellect, wealth, etc.; reputation; acknowledged ascendency; as, he is a man of influence in the community.

Example: ‘Such influence hath your excellency.’;

Induction.

To control or move by power, physical or moral; to affect by gentle action; to exert an influence upon; to modify, bias, or sway; to affect; to move; to persuade; to induce.

Example: ‘These experiments succeed after the same manner in vacuo as in the open air, and therefore are not influenced by the weight or pressure of the atmosphere.’; ‘This standing revelation . . . is sufficient to influence their faith and practice, if they attend.’; ‘The principle which influenced their obedience has lost its efficacy.’;

a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc;

Example: ‘used her parents' influence to get the job’;

causing something without any direct or apparent effort

a cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what you do;

Example: ‘her wishes had a great influence on his thinking’;

the effect of one thing (or person) on another;

Example: ‘the influence of mechanical action’;

one having power to influence another;

Example: ‘she was the most important influence in my life’; ‘he was a bad influence on the children’;

have and exert influence or effect;

Example: ‘The artist's work influenced the young painter’; ‘She worked on her friends to support the political candidate’;

shape or influence; give direction to;

Example: ‘experience often determines ability’; ‘mold public opinion’;

induce into action by using one's charm;

Example: ‘She charmed him into giving her all his money’;