fag
1 Americannoun
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Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.
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Offensive. a contemptible or dislikable person.
verb (used with object)
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to tire or weary by labor; exhaust (often followed byout ).
The long climb fagged us out.
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British. to require (a younger public-school pupil) to do menial chores.
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Nautical. to fray or unlay the end of (a rope).
verb (used without object)
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Chiefly British. to work until wearied; work hard.
to fag away at French.
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British Informal. to do menial chores for an older public-school pupil.
noun
noun
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informal a boring or wearisome task
it's a fag having to walk all that way
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(esp formerly) a young public school boy who performs menial chores for an older boy or prefect
verb
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informal to become or cause to become exhausted by hard toil or work
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(usually intr) to do or cause to do menial chores in a public school
Brown fags for Lee
noun
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a slang word for cigarette
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a fag end, as of cloth
noun
Sensitive Note
The terms fag and faggot are both used with disparaging intent and are perceived as highly insulting. However, faggot (but not fag ) is sometimes used within the gay community as a positive term of self-reference.
Other Word Forms
- faggish adjective
- unfagged adjective
Etymology
Origin of fag1
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; by shortening of faggot 1 ( def. )
Origin of fag2
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English fag(ge) “broken thread in cloth, a knot (in cloth), loose end” (further origin obscure); sense development apparently: “drooping end” to “droop, tire” to “make weary” to “drudgery, drudge” (compare flag 1 to flag 3 ); fag 2 ( def. 6 ) a shortening of fag end (“a butt,” hence a cigarette)
Explanation
Fag is mainly used as an offensive term for homosexuals. Although it has other meanings, you should probably avoid it at all costs. This is a very strong word that should be avoided in nearly all situations: fag (short for faggot) is a hateful slur against homosexuals. Because fag is such an offensive word, the other meanings are uncommon, but fagging has also meant working hard and getting tired, as in fagging out. A fag — especially in England — is also a cigarette, and in British boys’ schools, fags are servants for older boys.
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.
But Labour said the "reannouncement" was just a "back of a fag packet plan".
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2024
Shadow justice secretary David Lammy said the plan lacked detail and was "written on the back of a fag packet" to "assuage" anti-racism protests.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2020
She has become a familiar trope in film and television, trolleying around with fag ash, drink spilling, hem riding up, and is almost always white.
From The Guardian • Jan. 12, 2020
“We had lesbians, fag hags, African-Americans. Most of the drag queens were Spanish. It was a very mixed,” said a man who goes only by the name Tree.
From Reuters • Jun. 17, 2019
We’d heard that the father was a bricklayer’s mate, and I suppose we were expecting some cheeky little chap with a fag stuck on his lower lip.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
