zag
Americanverb (used without object)
Usage
What does zag mean? Zag is an informal verb that means to move in one of the directions in a zigzag pattern. A zigzag is a line of alternating, sharp up-and-down turns that form peaks and valleys kind of resembling the letter Z. Zigzag can also be used as a verb meaning to move back and forth while traveling forward in a way that resembles this pattern. The word zig can be used to mean the same thing as zag. However, the two terms are typically used together, in which case they mean to move in opposite directions. This is usually used in a somewhat humorous way. Zig and zag are most commonly used in the context of physical movement, but they are sometimes used in situations in which people keep doing different things, such as when changing their minds back and forth. Example: I threw the ball where I said I was going to throw it, but you zigged when you should have zagged!
Etymology
Origin of zag
First recorded in 1785–95; extracted from zigzag
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:
There was a simple reason why Lloyd decided to zag where everyone else in college hoops was zigging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Tilt Reiner’s filmography one way and it appears to be all about opposition, a restless yen to zag when others assumed he’d zig.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
“Flexibility is key. Zig when others zag: If you go to the most popular places at the most popular times, it's going to be crowded and expensive,” Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst, Bankrate.com.
From Salon ● May 28, 2025
More so than any of them, she is a zag that would respond to 2024’s zigs.
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2024
We waited for the balloons to zag away, then tumbled out of the grass, praying we were too far away to be spotted.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
In that moment, Mamdani zagged the way he often does, turning serious and channeling righteous anger.
From Slate ● Apr. 5, 2025
Hannah Gadsby repeatedly points out that she’s zigging when a ghostwriter would’ve zagged in “Ten Steps to Nanette,” the enthralling and occasionally vexing book she bills as “A Memoir Situation.”
From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2022
So owning farm acreage could add diversification to a stock portfolio, as the land value could zig when the market zagged.
From New York Times ● Oct. 8, 2021
Running back Antonio Gibson zigged and zagged his way through defenders on a screen pass for a 73-yard touchdown.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 26, 2021
The flying machine zigged and zagged, dodging eagles and vultures.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Rivian is zigging while other car companies are zagging.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
The energy sector’s monthly returns had only a 74% correlation with the rest of the market, meaning that sometimes it zigged when everything else was zagging — an extraordinarily useful attribute in the real world.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026
Highlights of Trent Mosley zigging and zagging and playing at a different level in his final high school game for Santa Margarita.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2025
Jones is known for zigging when others are zagging.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
We’d go north on Jeffery and then west on Sixty-Seventh Street, then north again, zagging and stopping every two blocks to collect more people.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
