stag
Americannoun
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stags
plural
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an adult male deer.
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a man who attends a social gathering unaccompanied by a woman.
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Informal. stag party.
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a domesticated boar or bull castrated after maturation of the sexual organs.
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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)
adjective
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of or for men only.
a stag dinner.
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intended for male audiences and usually pornographic in content.
a stag show.
adverb
noun
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the adult male of a deer, esp a red deer
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a man unaccompanied by a woman at a social gathering
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stock exchange
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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
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( as modifier )
stag operations
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(modifier) (of a social gathering) attended by men only
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(modifier) pornographic in content
a stag show
adverb
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
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”
Explanation
A stag is another word for a buck, or a male deer. If you spot a family of deer in the woods, the stag is the one with the largest antlers. There are different terms for male deer, depending on the species, and stag usually describes the largest types of deer. Stags are also commonly seen in paintings of deer hunts. Another way to use the word stag is as a verb meaning "go without a date," especially to a formal party or dance. In the mid-1800's, a "stag party" was a group made up only of men, a term that came to mean a bachelor party.
Vocabulary lists containing stag
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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 stag was shot by a Royal Parks wildlife officer, the charity said.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
It was not until further down the line that Considine would realise the significance of the song, when the same group reunited for his stag do in London.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
According to reports, the mother and son were in the woods collecting antlers during the stag shedding season.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
"He was a lovely stag with a beautiful pair of antlers and was a big favourite with the public who walk through the park."
From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2025
Sir Ector was an M.F.H.—or rather a Master of stag and other hounds—and he hunted his own pack himself.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
On the positive side, Fitbit stags who bought into the IPO but sold soon after the stock went public made fast profits of up to 150%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Most of our pets don’t pull carts, hunt stags, herd sheep or detect drugs, where we need to ensure correct performance.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2023
“She gave an example to other women. And she did big paintings — of horses, stags, lions — not small flowers, in pastels. That is feminist.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2022
Stags with big antlers score more often than stags with small ones.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2022
The glass eyes of Lord Fredrick’s taxidermy collection stared at her accusingly: the bear, the moose, the stags, the foxes, the many varieties of birds, and, of course, the elk.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Cadets who "stagged" it were expected to stand.
From Dick Prescott's First Year at West Point by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock
Well; we coom back through t' teawn; an' we were both on us fair stagged up.
From Home-Life of the Lancashire Factory Folk during the Cotton Famine by Edwin Waugh
But, howsomdever, the farmer came wi 'um, and a waundy big dog that stagged me, and barked like fury.
From Olla Podrida by Frederick Marryat
They were tangible annoyances, imps in stagged trousers and imps in calico dresses.
From Lost Farm Camp by Harry Herbert Knibbs
The tight driver's shoe and "stagged" trousers had not then come into use.
From The Riverman by Stewart Edward White
Ltd. $20,000,000, and there was said to be "hardly any stagging."
From Time Magazine Archive
A young stripling or two may drop in, stagging it.
From Blue Ridge Country by Erskine Caldwell
"I should cut the concern," said Watson, "and take to stagging in Surrey."
From Marion Fay by Anthony Trollope
The cove was touting, but stagging the traps he toddled; be was looking out, and feeing the officers he walked away.
From 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
But too many of the cadets were "stagging it" that night.
From Dick Prescott's Second Year at West Point Finding the Glory of the Soldier's Life by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock
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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.
