hold sway

present singular third person holds sway · participle present holding sway · participle past held sway · past held sway

1. idiomaticTo have the greatest influence (over someone or something); to be pre-eminent; to dominate.

   Not only is Jon’s claim to the Iron Throne stronger than hers, thanks to a patriarchal society, but her heroic deeds—and the attendant risks—hold no sway in the North.

   2019 May 5, Danette Chavez, “Campaigns are Waged On and Off the Game Of Thrones Battlefield (Newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 28 Jan 2021

   2 more examples

   Within Lololand, of course, no Chinese writ runs, no Chinese magistrate holds sway, and the people, more or less divided among themselves, are under the government of their tribal chiefs.

   1913, Elizabeth Kimball Kendall, A Wayfarer in China

   Neither appeal seemed to hold sway with Kaplan, who stated that while he took into account that Bankman-Fried has autism and is socially awkward, he had committed a very serious crime.

   2024 March 28, Nick Robins-Early, “‘He knew it was wrong’: Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison over FTX fraud”, in The Guardian, →ISSN