wag
[ wag ]
/ wæg /
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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, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use wag in a sentence
They say on Sunday afternoon the Wagger makes the same speech to the freshers that he's made for twenty years.
Sinister Street, vol. 2|Compton Mackenzie
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, nounWord 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
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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.