Wag Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms wag American [wag] / wæg /

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 British / 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 2 British

abbreviation

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 3 British / 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 4 British / 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 wag Idioms

1. see tail wagging the dog; tongues wag.

Other Word Forms

• unwagged adjective
• wagger noun
• waggery noun
• waggish adjective
• waggishly adverb
• waggishness noun

Etymology

Origin of wag

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He threw himself back onto the grass, wagging his head and chattering his teeth.

From Literature

Moose barked again, wagging his tail at the high chair.

From Literature

“We’re finished with all that now,” I told her, but she just wagged her tail.

From Literature

Kabawat exclaims in approval as another, Ghufran, wags her finger for emphasis: "We either occupy a space where we hold all the decision-making power, or we don't want to be in that space at all."

From BBC

He played doubles with Emma Raducanu at last year's US Open, setting tongues wagging, but the British player has insisted they are "just good friends".

From Barron's

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.