wag

[wag]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wag ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), wagged, wag·ging.

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), wagged, wag·ging.

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.

to get along; travel; proceed: Let the world wag how it will.

to totter or sway.

British Slang. to play truant; play hooky.

noun

the act of wagging: a friendly wag of the tail.

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

Origin of wag

1175–1225; Middle English waggen < Old Norse vaga to sway, or vagga cradle

Related formswag·ger, nounun·wagged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for wagged

quiver, swing, nod, sway, shake, vibrate, wave, beat, switch, shimmy, rock, lash, waggle, bob, twitch, stir, flutter, oscillate, fish-tail

Examples from the Web for wagged

Contemporary Examples of wagged

But after consulting with his boss, the second guard also wagged his head.
Pope Francis, ‘the Maker of Traffic Jams’
Mac Margolis
July 26, 2013
If only salespeople were fuzzy and wagged their tails more, they'd probably find it easier to cooperate with the inevitable.
The Economics of Puppy Management
Megan McArdle
February 22, 2013

Historical Examples of wagged

Old Bob wagged his head in slow negation; young William lifted his.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
Then she wagged the stump of her tail, and they considered themselves acquainted.
Johnny Bear
E. T. Seton
And I'd have broke the head of the first man that'd wagged a tongue.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
"To ward off possible traitors," she told him, and Marius smiled and wagged his head.
St. Martin's Summer
Rafael Sabatini
Beth wagged her head like a solemn child and then laid her other hand on his.
The Vagrant Duke
George Gibbs

British Dictionary definitions for wagged

wag

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

wag

noun

a humorous or jocular person; wit

Derived Formswaggery, nounwaggish, adjectivewaggishly, adverbwaggishness, noun

Word Origin for wag

C16: of uncertain origin

Wag

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)

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

Word Origin and History for wagged

wag

early 13c., "waver, vacillate, lack steadfastness," probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Old Norse vagga "a cradle," Danish vugge "rock a cradle," Old Swedish wagga "fluctuate"), and in part from Old English wagian "move backwards and forwards;" all from Proto-Germanic *wagojanan (cf. Old High German weggen, Gothic wagjan "to wag"), probably from PIE root *wegh- "to move about" (see weigh). Meaning "to move back and forth or up and down" is from c.1300. Wagtail is attested from c.1500 as a kind of small bird (late 12c. as a surname); 18c. as "a harlot," but seems to be implied much earlier:

If therefore thou make not thy mistress a goldfinch, thou mayst chance to find her a wagtaile. [Lyly, "Midas," 1592]

Wag-at-the-wall (1825) was an old name for a hanging clock with pendulum and weights exposed.

wag

"person fond of making jokes," 1550s, perhaps a shortening of waghalter "gallows bird," person destined to swing in a noose or halter, applied humorously to mischievous children, from wag (v.) + halter. Or possibly directly from wag (v.).

Idioms and Phrases with wagged

wag

see tail wagging the dog; tongues wag.