sashay

1 of 2

verb

sa·​shay sa-ˈshā 

 also  sī-

sashayed; sashaying; sashays

intransitive verb

1

a

: to strut or move about in an ostentatious or conspicuous manner

The model sashayed down the runway.

Rinna is sashaying down a street in one of Sutton's designer gowns for some reason!

—Jodi Walker

Her friends had long whispered to her about Lute's sleek good looks, and the way he sashayed about the island as if he owned it.

—Dorothy West

b

: walk, glide, go

Fans should enjoy Mexico goalie Jorge Campos, with his pink-and-lime-green outfits and the way he sashays upfield, far from his goal, when the spirit moves him.

—The New York Times

With his cowboy wisdom and irreverent wit, he sashayed into America's heart early this century and has remained there ever since.

—People Weekly

c

: to proceed or move in a diagonal or sideways manner

The hook dangling from the airplane's tail is supposed to clear the ramp by at least 10 feet; but the ramp itself, in heavy seas, may be rising and falling 15 feet and sashaying side to side in a figure-eight as well.

—Peter Garrison

2

: to make a chassé

sashay

2 of 2

noun

1

: trip, excursion

2

: a square-dance figure in which partners sidestep in a circle around each other with the man moving behind the woman

3

: chassé

Did you know?

Sashay slid into English as an alteration of the French borrowing chassé, which refers to a dance step in which a slide on one foot is followed closely by a slide on the other foot. (It comes from the French verb chasser, meaning "to chase.") Authors such as Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, and John Updike have all put their names on the word’s proverbial dance card, enjoying the liveliness sashay adds to prose. More recently, it has been strutting its stuff as a refrain on RuPaul’s Drag Race since 2009: a queen does not skulk when voted out of the race, but proudly sashays offstage. From classic literature to the runway, sashay continues to dance its way through English with attitude. Now, sashay away.

Synonyms

Verb

• prance
• stalk
• strut
• swagger

Noun

• excursion
• jaunt
• junket
• outing
• ramble
• sally
• sortie
• spin

Examples of sashay in a Sentence

Verb

The model sashayed down the runway.

She sashayed into the room.

Noun

just a little weekend sashay we took to get away from it all

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

And the longer the contestants sashay the more the room urges them to greatness. —Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 27 June 2024

The month kicks off with the love planet sashaying through your cozy fourth house of home and family, so don't be surprised if your romantic encounters and desires take on a more sentimental tone. —Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 7 June 2024

Noun

Saturday, June 22 Cincinnati Pride Parade, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Downtown. Parade sashays from Seventh Street at Plum, turns south on Vine Street and ends at Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman's Cove. —Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 10 June 2024

The animal kingdom has no shortage of dance moves, from flamingoes’ synchronized sashays to the waltzes of scorpions. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of chassé

First Known Use

Verb

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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