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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fags,
present (3rd person singular)
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fagged,
past participle, past
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fagging
present participle
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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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fags,
present (3rd person singular)
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fagged,
past participle, past
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fagging
present participle
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fagsimple
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fagssimple
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have faggedperfect
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has faggedperfect
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am faggingprogressive
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are faggingprogressive
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is faggingprogressive
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have been faggingperfect progressive
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has been faggingperfect progressive
Past
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faggedsimple
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had faggedperfect
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was faggingprogressive
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were faggingprogressive
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had been faggingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
The ICC cannot allow the championship to continue as if designed on the back of a fag packet.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
Afterwards, lead Studio E architect Bruce Sounes sent an email to Mr Harris of Harley saying his "back of a fag packet" figure for the cladding had been deemed over-budget, according to emails.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2020
No sickies, no holiday, no Tweetdeck, no fag breaks, no long lunches, no watercooler chit-chat, no urge-driven browsing, no early finishes.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 27, 2019
“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
And they laugh and drink their tea and smoke their Woodbines and tell one another the fag is the only comfort they have.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Like a smoker finishing her very last pack of fags, May has appeared in recent months to be perpetually intending to quit as Prime Minister, without ever quite managing to do it.
From The New Yorker ● May 24, 2019
He - Burton - would walk around with his fags in his hand and I'd say cassocks have pockets you know.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2012
They also refer to more bizarre matters, including “bent bananas”, ‘British jam’ and how “Farage he likes his fags and beer”.
From Newsweek
The young servants are called fags, their service fagging, because in the 1660s "to fag" meant to toil.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the School House every prefect was allowed four fags, so as Foster and Gordon were both prefects, the games study had a goodly crowd of menials.
From The Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh
Twain was fagged out after the night train and chitchat, and his thigh was hurting.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2016
Instead, Kennedy stepped up the tempo, exhorted his fagged aides to renewed action.
From Time Magazine Archive
Every member was fagged by Saturday afternoon when Democratic assistant Chief-of-Staff Walsh of Montana arose to beg the Young Turks to have mercy on their older colleagues and not work them into their graves.
From Time Magazine Archive
He is ordered to take a brief rest so that he will not be too fagged for next week's meeting.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Now get some sleep, Matthias. I’m fagged out after that snack. My old honorable war wound is beginning to play me up. I must have a bit of a snooze.”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
The inquiry was told that Mr Hahn had opposed corporal punishment and the school did not feature other practices common to boarding schools such as "fagging."
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2021
It was she who fanned to new endeavor the fagging spirits of her husband, in those moments of discouragement which are apt to come to all engaged in intense scientific research.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 28, 2011
Then too, fagging at Eton created a great many social distinctions that are a British specialty.
From Time Magazine Archive
Eton was founded in 1440 by Henry VI, but fagging did not begin until the 17th century.
From Time Magazine Archive
That travelling, and tugging, and fagging about, and getting drenched and muddled, by no means harmonises with my notions of happiness.
From Charlotte Bront? A Monograph by T. Wemyss Reid
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.
