wag
verb (used with object)
to move from side to side, forward and backward, or up and down, especially rapidly and repeatedly.
wag
American
[wag]
/ wæg /
verb (used with object)
-
wags,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wagged,
past participle, past
-
wagging
present participle
-
to move from side to side, forward and backward, or up and down, especially rapidly and repeatedly.
a dog wagging its tail.
-
to move (the tongue), as in idle or indiscreet chatter.
-
to shake (a finger) at someone, as in reproach.
-
to move or nod (the head).
verb (used without object)
-
wags,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wagged,
past participle, past
-
wagging
present participle
-
to be moved from side to side or one way and the other, especially rapidly and repeatedly, as the head or the tail.
-
to move constantly, especially in idle or indiscreet chatter.
Her behavior caused local tongues to wag.
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to get along; travel; proceed.
Let the world wag how it will.
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to totter or sway.
-
British Slang. to play truant; play hooky.
noun
-
wags
plural
-
the act of wagging.
a friendly wag of the tail.
-
a person given to droll, roguish, or mischievous humor; wit.
wag
1
British
/ wæɡ /
verb
-
to move or cause to move rapidly and repeatedly from side to side or up and down
-
to move (the tongue) or (of the tongue) to be moved rapidly in talking, esp in idle gossip
-
to move (the finger) or (of the finger) to be moved from side to side, in or as in admonition
-
slang to play truant (esp in the phrase wag it )
noun
WAG
2
British
abbreviation
Wag
3
British
/ wæɡ /
noun
wag
4
British
/ wæɡ /
noun
wag
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wagsimple
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wagssimple
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have waggedperfect
-
has waggedperfect
-
am waggingprogressive
-
are waggingprogressive
-
is waggingprogressive
-
have been waggingperfect progressive
-
has been waggingperfect progressive
Past
-
waggedsimple
-
had waggedperfect
-
was waggingprogressive
-
were waggingprogressive
-
had been waggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wag
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English waggen, from Old Norse vaga “to sway,” or from vagga “cradle”
Explanation
A wag is a quick, back-and-forth movement. A scolding teacher might give you an irritated wag of a finger, while a happy dog will give you a cheerful tail wag. Animals and people alike use wags to communicate various emotions, and when they do, they wag. Dogs are known to wag their tails in happiness or to express friendliness, but a very slow tail wag can mean a dog is uncertain or is trying to calm itself. Wag is at least partly rooted in the Old English wagian, "move backwards and forwards."
Vocabulary lists containing wag
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:
Which doesn’t keep him from being the driest wag in the cul-de-sac.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
But strict rules also make the financial tail wag the real economy dog.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026
You can’t wag your finger at people and say, “You should be going to the theater and having this theatrical experience,” but you feel it rising right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025
“I tell clients, ‘Don’t let the tax tail wag the dog.’”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
His tail would wag like a flag in a storm.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Meanwhile, "the WAG culture is only getting more powerful, it's only just started in terms of the agency that they have in making their own brand and finding a new way in," he says.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
In the meantime, Biles seems content to embrace a position on the sidelines—both as an NFL WAG and a supporter of gymnastics around the globe.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
Between us, we have defecated in cat holes, WAG bags, and oil drums alongside service members of different genders and sexual identities.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2025
“Underestimate a WAG at your peril,” she said.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2022
Some Tory WAG among the Hanging Committee may have taken this juxtaposition for wit: our readers will adopt a different view.
From Old Friends, Epistolary Parody by Andrew Lang
From there, Schwarzenegger returned to London where he trained under Charles "Wag" Bennett, who had been another of the judges at the Mr Universe competition.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
Wag Hotels, which has locations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a consumer protection lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
One row lower, you’ll find that this prime real estate goes to two more brands—Purina and Blue Buffalo—next to Amazon’s own, called Wag.
From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2023
You’ll also receive a complimentary month of Wag!
From New York Times ● May 15, 2023
“Hurt!” cried the little gentleman, jumping up and offering his hand to Mrs Wag.
From Tales from Blackwood, Volume 7 by Herbert Willis
“Obsession,” on the other hand, wags its finger at projecting a fantasy onto your crush.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Kabawat exclaims in approval as another, Ghufran, wags her finger for emphasis: "We either occupy a space where we hold all the decision-making power, or we don't want to be in that space at all."
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2026
Wall Street wags say bigger investment managers will do worse, but Blackstone’s 2025 investment performance was pretty good.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Just inland from Rosie’s Dog Beach, Franklin Bean, a 10-month-old mini dachshund, greeted passersby with tail wags and belly rolls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
On an apple bough, the phoebe teeters and wags its tail and says, “Phoebe, phoe-bee!”
From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
An initially withdrawn Teddy howled and wagged her tail upon seeing her owner, according to shelter officials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
After striking Caballero out, Cole wagged his finger at him while walking off the mound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Dr Williams said Pumpkin, despite everything, still "wagged his tail" when he saw her.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2024
Dipper met every kind of famous person, Stewart said, including presidents and kings, which means he very well might have wagged his tail in Biden’s presence back when he was Barack Obama’s veep.
From Salon ● Mar. 4, 2024
Lucy was tied to a post to keep her from chasing the balls, but she wagged her tail when the boys came over.
From "The Missing Mitt (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #2)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Wakefield's stunning semi-final win over Wigan set tongues wagging across rugby league and beyond, particularly given the nature of the demolition job delivered by Daryl Powell's side to the treble-chasers.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
If a leveraged fund grows large enough, it can start to have a significant impact on the underlying stock to which it is tied, a phenomenon traders refer to as “the tail wagging the dog.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
In a sense, it is like the tail wagging the dog.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
Doncic missed his first free-throw attempt and paused before taking his second, speaking with an official while wagging his finger in the direction of Bitadze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2026
The dog looked back at us and stood there, wagging his tail, but did not return.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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