wag
to move from side to side, forward and backward, or up and down, especially rapidly and repeatedly: a dog wagging its tail.
to move (the tongue), as in idle or indiscreet chatter.
to shake (a finger) at someone, as in reproach.
to move or nod (the head).
to be moved from side to side or one way and the other, especially rapidly and repeatedly, as the head or the tail.
to move constantly, especially in idle or indiscreet chatter: Her behavior caused local tongues to wag.
to get along; travel; proceed: Let the world wag how it will.
to totter or sway.
British Slang. to play truant; play hooky.
the act of wagging: a friendly wag of the tail.
a person given to droll, roguish, or mischievous humor; wit.
Origin of wag
1Other words from wag
- wagger, noun
- un·wagged, adjective
Words Nearby wag
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wag in a sentence
Mason is long gone from Groupon, but he remains a bit of a wag.
Descript raises $30M to build the next generation of video and audio editing tools | Ingrid Lunden | January 12, 2021 | TechCrunchIf I hadn’t found an emergency wag bag stashed in the medical kit, we would have been in for some type-two fun, if you know what I mean.
One wag joked that Liberty was the only university where football players and nerds got the same amount of sex.
Alleged U.Va. Abductor Accused of Rape at Christian College | Michael Daly | September 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The first cover-up of the de Blasio administration,” one wag joked.
One wag tweeted: “I saved millions of lives … by getting people to not vote for your father.”
Rather, this tiny tail of the car industry is starting to wag the dog.
Tesla’s Rise Forces Other Automakers to Up Their Electric Car Game | Daniel Gross | September 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd ultimately, Kumar said, “efforts at message discipline tend not to work” and tongues, at long last, begin to wag.
At the Obama White House: Transparency Transhmarency | Lloyd Grove | August 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST"I bought them boots to wear only when I go into genteel society," said one of the codfish tribe, to a wag, the other day.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousWhile a one-step was in full swing some would-be wag suddenly turned off all the lights.
Uncanny Tales | VariousA distinguished wag about town says, the head coverings the ladies wear now-a-days, are barefaced false hoods.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousIf all the world did not wag his way, so much the worse for cold-blooded mercenary superfluous beings.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonThe fellow she came with is Delmet the architect—a great wag—lazy, but full of fun—and genius.
The Real Latin Quarter | F. Berkeley Smith
British Dictionary definitions for wag (1 of 4)
/ (wæɡ) /
to move or cause to move rapidly and repeatedly from side to side or up and down
to move (the tongue) or (of the tongue) to be moved rapidly in talking, esp in idle gossip
to move (the finger) or (of the finger) to be moved from side to side, in or as in admonition
slang to play truant (esp in the phrase wag it)
the act or an instance of wagging
Origin of wag
1British Dictionary definitions for wag (2 of 4)
/ (wæɡ) /
a humorous or jocular person; wit
Origin of wag
2Derived forms of wag
- waggery, noun
- waggish, adjective
- waggishly, adverb
- waggishness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Wag (3 of 4)
/ (wæɡ) /
informal the wife or girlfriend of a famous sportsman
Origin of Wag
3British Dictionary definitions for WAG (4 of 4)
(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
Other Idioms and Phrases with wag
see tail wagging the dog; tongues wag.
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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