stag

[ stag ]

/ stæg /

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See synonyms for: stag / stagged / stagging / stags on Thesaurus.com

noun

an adult male deer.

the male of various other animals.

a man who attends a social gathering unaccompanied by a woman.

Informal. stag party.

a swine or bull castrated after maturation of the sex organs.

British. a speculator who buys securities of a new issue in the hope of selling them quickly at a higher price.

verb (used without object), stagged, stag·ging.

Informal. (of a man) to attend a social function without a female companion.

adjective

of or for men only: a stag dinner.

intended for male audiences and usually pornographic in content: a stag show.

adverb

without a companion or date: to go stag to a dance.

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Origin of stag

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English stagge; akin to Old Norse steggi, steggr “male bird” (giving rise to northern English dialect steg “gander”), Icelandic steggur “male fox, tomcat”

OTHER WORDS FROM stag

staglike, adjective

Words nearby stag

Staffordshire bull terrier, staffrider, Staffs, staff sergeant, staff sergeant major, stag, stag beetle, stage, stage brace, stage business, stagecoach

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stag in a sentence

It’s hard to drag your thoughts away from Mahomes’s pure physicality, the strange combination of brawn and lithe movement, the supple slinging throws, the dodging stag legs.
Patrick Mahomes has unmatched physical gifts. His intellect might be what sets him apart.|Sally Jenkins|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
And there happens to be a rock with stag on top of it as a monument right outside of town.
The Look of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’|Andrew Romano|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When "Paula" stalled at Stag, Salinger must have been relieved.
What the Leaked J.D. Salinger Stories Reveal About the Author|Andrew Romano|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Salinger retooled it, retitled it "Paula," and sold it to Stag, a middlebrow publication for men.
What the Leaked J.D. Salinger Stories Reveal About the Author|Andrew Romano|November 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

“President Zal ul-Haq refused me entry to his entourage, saying it was a stag party,” Mustafa told the audience.
Portraits Of Courage: Female Journalists Honored At International Women’s Media Foundation Awards|Katie Baker|October 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
According to Eade, in his youth Philip was a member of a lunch club that enjoyed “rip-roaring stag parties” every Thursday.
Sex Lives of the New Royals|Tom Sykes|July 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Sometimes when the children were playing in the snow, they found the antlers of a full-grown stag.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
I did not realize it until that early morning when I heard the moving feet, as one hears dogs on the hurrying heels of a stag.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
I looked up and there was a stag whose nostrils were quivering with excitement as if he scented the music.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
I thought I saw weasels way below, and in the distance I felt the stag disturbing the leaves of small plants.
Kari the Elephant|Dhan Gopal Mukerji
It was an untried leap to the farmer, who nevertheless went at it like a thunderbolt and cleared it like a stag.
Hunted and Harried|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for stag

stag

/ (stæɡ) /

noun

the adult male of a deer, esp a red deer

a man unaccompanied by a woman at a social gathering

stock exchange, British

a speculator who applies for shares in a new issue in anticipation of a rise in price when trading commences in order to make a quick profit on resale
(as modifier)stag operations

(modifier) (of a social gathering) attended by men only

(modifier) pornographic in contenta stag show

adverb

without a female escort

verb (tr)

stock exchange to apply for (shares in a new issue) with the intention of selling them for a quick profit when trading commences

Word Origin for stag

Old English stagga (unattested); related to Old Norse steggr male bird

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 stag

stag

In addition to the idiom beginning with stag

stage fright
stage whisper
stag party

also see:

go stag

stag

Origin of stag

OTHER WORDS FROM stag

Words nearby stag

Words related to stag

How to use stag in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stag

Word Origin for stag

Other Idioms and Phrases with stag