wig
noun
an artificial covering of hair for all or most of the head, of either synthetic or natural hair, worn to be stylish or more attractive.
wig
American
[wig]
/ wɪg /
noun
-
wigs
plural
-
an artificial covering of hair for all or most of the head, of either synthetic or natural hair, worn to be stylish or more attractive.
-
a similar head covering, worn in one's official capacity, as part of a costume, disguise, etc.
-
a toupee or hairpiece.
-
British Informal. a wigging.
verb (used with object)
wigged,
wigging
-
to furnish with a wig.
-
British Informal. to reprimand or reprove severely; scold.
verb phrase
idioms
wig
1
British
/ wɪɡ /
noun
verb
-
obsolete to furnish with a wig
-
slang to berate severely
Wig.
2
British
abbreviation
wig
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of wig
First recorded in 1665–75; short for periwig
Explanation
A wig is a head covering made of hair. If your hair is short, red, and curly, you can try out an entirely different look by wearing a long, black wig. Wigs are made from donated human hair, synthetic hair, or even animal hair. Some look so realistic that no one would ever guess a person was wearing a wig. A costume wig, on the other hand, might simply give you purple clown hair. People wear wigs for many reasons, including hair loss caused by illness or cancer treatment, religious law, and personal style. Wig was originally short for periwig, from the French perruque, "head of hair."
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:
Also revelling in the excitement from being at the game, young fan Jasper was wearing a tri-coloured wig his grandfather bought him.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
“I’m sure you’ve seen all the TikToks where everyone wears a wig to brunch,” said Nate Jones, a 29-year-old advertising strategist in Chicago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Kusama, who had voluntarily lived in a pyschiatric hospital for decades, was known for her bright-red wig and quirky polka-dot ensembles.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Kusama, instantly recognisable in her bright red wig and bold spotted outfits, worked well into old age from the psychiatric hospital in Tokyo where she lived voluntarily for the second half of her life.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Thanks for nothing, Jack!” the “princess” yelled at him, his wig and tiara falling off as he sat up.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Stealing a Wig. n the palmy days of wigs the price of a full-wig of an English gentleman was from thirty to forty guineas.
From At the Sign of the Barber's Pole Studies In Hirsute History by William Andrews
Unlike her famous wigs, rhinestones and stilettos, it wasn’t something she could, or would, remove.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Annual bilateral trade -- a significant component of which is wigs made in the North -- has reportedly recovered since the pandemic to almost $3 billion.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Every year, thousands of people around the world don red robes – and in some cases long black wigs – for The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
His balding head’s scraggly hair—in contrast to the wigs worn by just about every Frenchman at the time, no matter the social class—is both ennobling and a bit enfeebling, like an aging but distinguished mane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Is it the creepy guy at number fifty-four who we always thought turned hedgehogs into wigs?
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
“I think it wigged me out subconsciously,” he recalled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Call his parents and ask if he’s still wigged out by noises like a food processor.
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2019
Instead, Carson waddled out dressed and wigged like the talkative octogenarian Aunt Blabby.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 20, 2017
What’s weird is that that joyful irreverance that I think of as so definitive of our national character is nowhere in our “official” cultural ouputs, except if you count the we-were-all-in-sydney-university-drama-society-together-in-1973 wigged impressions of politicians.
From New York Times ● Jun. 21, 2017
“Great. You got wigged out by a smell?”
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
In Louis-Dreyfus, who starred opposite James Gandolfini in “Enough Said,” Holofcener has found the ideal collaborator, an actor gloriously adept at wigging out but also capable of conveying vulnerability with a persuasive honesty.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2023
Following MacNair's lawsuit, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists launched an investigation into wigging cases, and concluded that wigging is "not acceptable and that this should not happen again."
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2021
Miller had two of his touchdowns after halftime, wigging through a hole on an off-tackle run and dashed down the sideline for a 75-yard TD.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 2021
It was once commonplace for studios to use stuntmen in wigs instead of female doubles, a practice known as wigging.
From Reuters ● May 6, 2021
“It was one of my jokes and I’ll get a wigging if he finds it out,” chuckled Billy.
From The Hilltop Boys A Story of School Life by Cyril Burleigh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
