zigzag
a line, course, or progression characterized by sharp turns first to one side and then to the other.
one of a series of such turns, as in a line or path.
proceeding or formed in a zigzag: zigzag stitches.
with frequent sharp turns from side to side; in a zigzag manner: The child ran zigzag along the beach.
to make (something) zigzag, as in form or course; move or maneuver (something) in a zigzag direction: They zigzagged their course to confuse the enemy.
to proceed in a zigzag line or course.
Origin of zigzag
1Other words from zigzag
- zig·zag·ged·ness [zig-zag-id-nis], /ˈzɪgˌzæg ɪd nɪs/, noun
Words Nearby zigzag
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use zigzag in a sentence
All of my adventures include U-turns, switchbacks, zigzags, and circles.
To neutralize this unstable electrical field, lightning zigzags between the charged clusters, says Cassandra Smith, a volcanologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage.
Invisible bursts of electricity from volcanoes signal explosive eruptions | Alka Tripathy-Lang | July 1, 2021 | Science NewsArchaeologists walk or push the machines over the ground like a zigzagging lawnmower.
To find answers about the 1921 race massacre, Tulsa digs up its painful past | Helen Thompson | May 27, 2021 | Science NewsThen the balloon would tack around and slowly zigzag through the plume from the opposite direction.
A first-of-its-kind geoengineering experiment is about to take its first step | Emily Luong | February 19, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewThe eccentric, improvisational zigzags in his early career, along with the array of challenging hobbies, suggest that Irvine is constantly searching for the proper match for his considerable abilities.
An Unexpected Twist Lights Up the Secrets of Turbulence | David H. Freedman | September 3, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
The first was christened by the great etiquette guru Emily Post as “zigzag” eating.
The Strange Way We Eat: Bee Wilson’s ‘Consider the Fork’ | Bee Wilson | October 13, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIndeed, Clinton responded to the GOP congressional takeover with exactly the same zigzag.
Obama Steals Clinton’s 1994 Playbook With Daley Demotion | Peter Beinart | November 12, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTIt cut its zigzag way through the marsh for many miles, and they could follow its course with the eye but a few feet at a time.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonI do not know how to sympathize with any thing that is not straightforward and true, and your course is rather zigzag.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. DrinkwaterThe stone walls of houses were cracked; one of the "mansions" had a zigzag crevice from top to bottom.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonA steep and narrow path cuts along the former, and a really good road winds zigzag along the other to the Governor's House.
Napoleon's Young Neighbor | Helen Leah ReedIt is Norman, ornamented with a simply executed but very pleasing zigzag: the capitals of the piers are cushioned.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle | C. King Eley
British Dictionary definitions for zigzag
/ (ˈzɪɡˌzæɡ) /
a line or course characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions
one of the series of such turns
something having the form of a zigzag
(usually prenominal) formed in or proceeding in a zigzag
(of sewing machine stitches) produced in a zigzag by a swing needle used for joining stretch fabrics, neatening raw edges, etc
in a zigzag manner
to proceed or cause to proceed in a zigzag
(tr) to form into a zigzag
Origin of zigzag
1Derived forms of zigzag
- zigzaggedness, noun
- zigzagger, noun
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
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