nag
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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nags,
present (3rd person singular)
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nagged,
past participle, past
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nagging
present participle
verb (used without object)
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nags,
present (3rd person singular)
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nagged,
past participle, past
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nagging
present participle
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to find fault or complain in an irritating, wearisome, or relentless manner (often followed byat ).
If they start nagging at each other, I'm going home.
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to cause pain, discomfort, distress, depression, etc. (often followed byat ).
This headache has been nagging at me all day.
noun
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Also a person who nags, especially habitually.
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an act or instance of nagging.
His constant nagging finally got the best of me and I lost my temper.
noun
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an old, inferior, or worthless horse.
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Slang. any horse, especially a racehorse.
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a small riding horse or pony.
verb
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to scold or annoy constantly
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to be a constant source of discomfort or worry (to)
toothache nagged him all day
noun
noun
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derogatory a horse
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a small riding horse
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nagsimple
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nagssimple
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have naggedperfect
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has naggedperfect
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am naggingprogressive
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are naggingprogressive
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is naggingprogressive
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have been naggingperfect progressive
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has been naggingperfect progressive
Past
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naggedsimple
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had naggedperfect
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was naggingprogressive
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were naggingprogressive
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had been naggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nag1
First recorded in 1820–30; from Old Norse nagga “to rub, grumble, quarrel”; akin to Middle Low German naggen “to irritate”; see gnaw
Origin of nag2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English nag(ge); connected with Dutch neg(ge) “small horse,” of obscure origin; said to be akin to neigh
Explanation
When you ask for something over and over AND over again, you are nagging. If you nag your parents long enough, they'll either give in and get you a puppy, or simply refuse any pets at all — not even a goldfish. When you nag someone, you complain and pester them. Your teacher might nag you about a late assignment, or you might nag your friend to give you back the sweater he borrowed. A thought or worry can also nag you, simply by staying in your thoughts. The word nag meant "gnaw" before the 1820s, from a Scandinavian root.
Vocabulary lists containing nag
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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:
I don’t want to nag, but neither do I want to be a doormat.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025
They'll leave with brilliant memories of days and nights together, of wins on the road that bonded them, of a series won, but Saturday will nag away at them forever.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
Then in the script, I'm the nag parent, and Luke Kirby gets to be the fun one, so that nature starts to feed it.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024
For all that he did this season, the Mariners’ failure to reach to the postseason and his own inconsistencies will nag at him all offseason and motivate him through workouts.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023
Rocin is a Spanish word that means "nag" or "workhorse"; and antes means "before."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
They tend to start quietly—an elbow that aches after the range, a shoulder that nags during the backswing, a wrist that feels tired late in the round.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
Still, it nags, especially given Alvarez’s commitment elsewhere to grungy practical sets and props.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2024
But at the top of that list, people who know him say, is a concern that nags at him as a father: the legal problems of his son, Hunter Biden.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2024
And every time HBO Max yanks another movie or TV show I love from the platform, a thought nags at me: Chris was right.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2023
“Why do I have to do it?” he nags.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
As summer enters its final laps, at last I have the answer to a question that has nagged at me for more than half a century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
It was not long before the spectacle of the London Marathon captured his imagination and he nagged his parents to help him peer over the barriers for a closer look at the elites.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2025
And when I returned in the fall of 2023 to watch Pretzel again, the feeling nagged at me that maybe I could.
From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2025
Murray, who was nagged by a strained left calf during the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, has been bothered by right elbow pain in the past.
From Seattle Times ● May 17, 2024
I ran out of there and did my best to forget the conversation, but it nagged at me all the way to the river like a tooth beginning to go bad.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
The potential explanations for this staggering drop-off include a nagging shoulder injury, Maye’s decision-making, and his cratering confidence—which only leads to more mistakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Another nagging issue is that the company didn’t share much on its plans to return cash to shareholders when its Chips Act-related restrictions lift in December, Naji noted.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
"She got stuck into gritty, controversial, but crucial causes partly because she had a fine, natural social conscience, but also to assuage nagging feelings of worthlessness."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
She is in her late 70s and complains of nagging aches and pains, neuropathy, fatigue, anxiety, and occasional changes in her weight.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
But now Mrs. Sterling felt a slight, nagging fear that Nurse Beverly was gifted at more than bottle prep and the proper positioning of a baby in need of a good, solid burp.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
