wag

[wag]

verb (used with object)

wagged, wagging 

1. to move from side to side, forward and backward, or up and down, especially rapidly and repeatedly.

   a dog wagging its tail.

2. to move (the tongue), as in idle or indiscreet chatter.

3. to shake (a finger) at someone, as in reproach.

4. to move or nod (the head).

verb (used without object)

wagged, wagging 

1. to be moved from side to side or one way and the other, especially rapidly and repeatedly, as the head or the tail.

2. to move constantly, especially in idle or indiscreet chatter.

   Her behavior caused local tongues to wag.

3. to get along; travel; proceed.

   Let the world wag how it will.

4. to totter or sway.

5. British Slang.,  to play truant; play hooky.

noun

1. the act of wagging.

   a friendly wag of the tail.

2. a person given to droll, roguish, or mischievous humor; wit.

wag

¹

/ wæɡ /

verb

1. to move or cause to move rapidly and repeatedly from side to side or up and down

2. to move (the tongue) or (of the tongue) to be moved rapidly in talking, esp in idle gossip

3. to move (the finger) or (of the finger) to be moved from side to side, in or as in admonition

4. slang,  to play truant (esp in the phrase wag it )

noun

1. the act or an instance of wagging

WAG

²

abbreviation

1. (West Africa) Gambia (international car registration)

Wag

³

/ wæɡ /

noun

1. informal,  the wife or girlfriend of a famous sportsman

wag

⁴

/ wæɡ /

noun

1. a humorous or jocular person; wit

Other Word Forms

• wagger noun
• unwagged adjective
• waggishness noun
• waggishly adverb
• waggish adjective
• waggery noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wag¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English waggen, from Old Norse vaga “to sway,” or from vagga “cradle”

Word History and Origins

Origin of wag¹

C13: from Old English wagian to shake; compare Old Norse vagga cradle

Origin of wag²

C21: a back formation from an acronym for w ( ives ) a ( nd ) g ( irlfriends )

Origin of wag³

C16: of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

see tail wagging the dog; tongues wag.

Example Sentences

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Tano warns, wagging his finger at me.

Read more on Literature

A powerful wag of the wolf’s great furry tail pushed aside the drapes, and the cool blue light of the first full moon of May shone brightly upon them all.

Read more on Literature

At the sight of the children, the three newcomers wagged their tails, but there was no time for a happy reunion.

Read more on Literature

His dog, Jesus, a striking black-and-white pit bull, followed him everywhere, tail wagging like a punctuation mark.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

His acolyte Curt Mills boasts of being a “hater” of Israel and says Israel is “wagging the dog” of American politics.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal