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View synonyms for wag

wag

[ wag ]

verb (used with object)

wagged, wagging.
  1. to move from side to side, forward and backward, or up and down, especially rapidly and repeatedly:

    a dog wagging its tail.

  2. to move (the tongue), as in idle or indiscreet chatter.
  3. to shake (a finger) at someone, as in reproach.
  4. to move or nod (the head).


verb (used without object)

wagged, wagging.
  1. to be moved from side to side or one way and the other, especially rapidly and repeatedly, as the head or the tail.
  2. to move constantly, especially in idle or indiscreet chatter:

    Her behavior caused local tongues to wag.

  3. to get along; travel; proceed:

    Let the world wag how it will.

  4. to totter or sway.
  5. British Slang. to play truant; play hooky.

noun

  1. the act of wagging:

    a friendly wag of the tail.

  2. a person given to droll, roguish, or mischievous humor; wit.

WAG

1

abbreviation for

  1. (West Africa) Gambia (international car registration)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Wag

2

/ wæɡ /

noun

  1. informal.
    the wife or girlfriend of a famous sportsman
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

wag

3

/ wæɡ /

verb

  1. to move or cause to move rapidly and repeatedly from side to side or up and down
  2. to move (the tongue) or (of the tongue) to be moved rapidly in talking, esp in idle gossip
  3. to move (the finger) or (of the finger) to be moved from side to side, in or as in admonition
  4. slang.
    to play truant (esp in the phrase wag it )
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act or an instance of wagging
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

wag

4

/ wæɡ /

noun

  1. a humorous or jocular person; wit
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈwaggishness, noun
  • ˈwaggishly, adverb
  • ˈwaggish, adjective
  • ˈwaggery, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • wagger noun
  • un·wagged adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of wag1

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English waggen, from Old Norse vaga “to sway,” or from vagga “cradle”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of wag1

C21: a back formation from an acronym for w ( ives ) a ( nd ) g ( irlfriends )

Origin of wag2

C13: from Old English wagian to shake; compare Old Norse vagga cradle

Origin of wag3

C16: of uncertain origin
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Idioms and Phrases

see tail wagging the dog ; tongues wag .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In Rochdale, the sniffer dog shakes with excitement, her tail wagging frantically, above a hole concealing dozens of boxes of illegally imported tobacco products in one shop.

From BBC

“Why can’t we all just be like dogs? I mean, dogs are always happy and wagging their tails,” he said.

More than one Washington wag said, “I thought he was against transitioning.”

From Salon

Throughout our chat outside the gate, Doug sits at Lily's feet, wagging his tail, apparently happy to be getting so much attention.

From BBC

Her shadow interacts with the physical world, too, making wind chimes whistle with a wag of her fingers — a deliciously spooky detail the movie doesn’t make enough hay out of.

From Salon

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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