sag1

 
Pronunciation: /sag/

verb (sags, sagging, sagged)

[no object]
  • 1sink, subside, or bulge downwards under weight or pressure or through lack of strength: she let her head sag lower and lower the bed sagged in the middle (as adjective sagging) sagging shelves bearing rusty paint tins
  • hang down loosely or unevenly: stockings which sagged at the knees
  • 2decline to a lower level, usually temporarily: exports are forging ahead while home sales sag

noun

  • 1a downward curve or bulge in a structure caused by weakness or excessive weight or pressure: a sag in the middle necessitated a third set of wheels
  • [mass noun] Geometry the amount of a sag, measured as the perpendicular distance from the middle of the curve to the straight line between the two supporting points.
  • 2a decline, especially a temporary one.

Phrasal Verbs

sag off

Northern English informal
play truant from school.

Derivatives

saggy

adjective (saggier, saggiest)

Origin:

late Middle English (as a verb): apparently related to Middle Low German sacken, Dutch zakken 'subside'