zigzag
Americannoun
-
zigzags
plural
-
a line, course, or progression characterized by sharp turns first to one side and then to the other.
-
one of a series of such turns, as in a line or path.
adjective
adverb
verb (used with object)
-
zigzags,
present (3rd person singular)
-
zigzagged,
past participle, past
-
zigzagging
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
zigzags,
present (3rd person singular)
-
zigzagged,
past participle, past
-
zigzagging
present participle
noun
-
a line or course characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions
-
one of the series of such turns
-
something having the form of a zigzag
adjective
-
(usually prenominal) formed in or proceeding in a zigzag
-
(of sewing machine stitches) produced in a zigzag by a swing needle used for joining stretch fabrics, neatening raw edges, etc
adverb
verb
-
to proceed or cause to proceed in a zigzag
-
(tr) to form into a zigzag
Usage
What does zigzag mean?
A zigzag is a line of alternating, sharp up-and-down turns that form peaks and valleys kind of resembling the letter Z.[caption id="attachment_172305" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Getty Images. A pattern of zigzags.[/caption]As a noun, zigzag can also refer to a route or path that resembles this kind of pattern, as in The dragonfly moved through the air in a zigzag. Zigzag can also be used as a verb meaning to move back and forth while traveling forward in a way that resembles this pattern, as in The dragonfly zigzagged through the air. As a verb, zigzag is most commonly used in the context of physical movement, but it can be used in situations in which people keep doing different things, such as changing their minds. A much more common term for this is flip-flop. It is also used as an adjective in phrases like zigzag pattern. In sewing, a zigzag stitch is a type of stitch that can be made by a sewing machine, such as to finish the edges of a garment. Some sewing machines use an attachment called a zigzagger to make such stitches. Example: Some animals, like the hare, move in a zigzag pattern when escaping predators, making it harder for them to be caught.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
zigzagsimple
-
zigzagssimple
-
have zigzaggedperfect
-
has zigzaggedperfect
-
am zigzaggingprogressive
-
are zigzaggingprogressive
-
is zigzaggingprogressive
-
have been zigzaggingperfect progressive
-
has been zigzaggingperfect progressive
Past
-
zigzaggedsimple
-
had zigzaggedperfect
-
was zigzaggingprogressive
-
were zigzaggingprogressive
-
had been zigzaggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of zigzag
1705–15; < French; replacing earlier ziczac < French < German zickzack, gradational compound based on Zacke tack 1
Explanation
The word zigzag describes the shape of a line. A line drawn in a zigzag shape makes a lot of short, sharp turns. The letter Z is a zigzag itself, and a thunderbolt is also often represented as a zigzag. The first turn a zigzag line makes is called a zig, and the second is called the zag. Zigzag can also be a verb. If you're describing how you got lost in the desert, you might say, "I meant to go straight, but then I zigged, and then I zagged." Serpentine describes a line that curves, but the curves are rounded (like a serpent), not short and sharp like a zigzag.
Vocabulary lists containing zigzag
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Shiloh
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"My Antonia" by Willa Cather: Captivating Verbs
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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.
See Examples For:
The development and adoption of AI may not go straight from point A to point B. It may very well zigzag, just as the internet economy did.
From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—It was like a scene out of a movie: a pair of white Jaguars zipping through a two-lane tunnel, changing lanes at the same time in a zigzag formation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
Don’t zigzag from incident to incident or from regret to regret.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025
Police cars formed a zigzag in the driveway.
From Salon ● May 29, 2025
Her journey to the Valentine farm had been fraught—a troupe of hard characters took her on a zigzag route away from her master.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Such stylistic zigzags, always present in the rapper’s work but even more prominent here, define “Don’t Be Dumb.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Their filmography zigzags between thrillers and comedies, lean exercises and awards heavyweights, never making the same movie twice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
This new display wanders back and forth across the Alps, zigzags off-piste, and in a few places jumps into the modern age.
From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
We are hardly the first generation of women to know in our bones that progress comes in zigzags and waves, and occasional backlash.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2023
As you walk down a narrow pathway that zigzags back and forth, you can see the history of the region in the various layers of rocks.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
The three brothers zigzagged across Zambia, navigating a landscape increasingly shaped by people and avoiding obstacles including major cities.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
From Levin's quiet street, the concrete border wall zigzagged up the ridge overlooking Shlomi.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
But instead of moving quickly in a straight line, as instructed, the men moved slowly and zigzagged through the forest to avoid leaving a clear trail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
On Thursday afternoon, delivery trucks and cars zigzagged around unidentifiable heaps of twisted metal and fabric left in the street, as trains roared by and a helicopter circled overhead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2024
Danny asked as they zigzagged on the winding mountain roads.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
In the southern Athens seaside suburb of Glyfada, a pensioner struggles to cross an avenue with her shopping trolley, zigzagging between cars stuck in traffic.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
The zigzagging has amplified industry worries about inconsistent signals from the agency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
This is his Pynchoniad, a zigzagging epic of America and the world through our bloodiest, most shameful hundred years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
After zigzagging hundreds of miles across Europe, the contents of the consignment had been verified five days earlier by customs officers at Schipol Airport in the Netherlands, ready for its road trip to Belgium.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2025
The hounds would be baying after them, snuffing through the swamps and the underbrush, zigzagging through the deepest woods.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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