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wag

[ wag ]
/ wæg /
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See synonyms for: wag / wagged / wagging / wagger on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), wagged, wag·ging.
verb (used without object), wagged, wag·ging.
noun
the act of wagging: a friendly wag of the tail.
a person given to droll, roguish, or mischievous humor; wit.
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Origin of wag

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

OTHER WORDS FROM wag

wagger, nounun·wagged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wag in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wag (1 of 4)

wag1
/ (wæɡ) /

verb wags, wagging or wagged
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
the act or an instance of wagging

Word Origin for wag

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

British Dictionary definitions for wag (2 of 4)

wag2
/ (wæɡ) /

noun
a humorous or jocular person; wit

Derived forms of wag

waggery, nounwaggish, adjectivewaggishly, adverbwaggishness, noun

Word Origin for wag

C16: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for wag (3 of 4)

Wag
/ (wæɡ) /

noun
informal the wife or girlfriend of a famous sportsman

Word Origin for Wag

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

British Dictionary definitions for wag (4 of 4)

WAG

abbreviation for
(West Africa) Gambia (international car registration)
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 wag

wag

see tail wagging the dog; tongues wag.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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