wagged; wagging
1
: to be in motion : stir
2
: to move to and fro or up and down especially with quick jerky motions
3
: to move in chatter or gossip
scandal caused tongues to wag
4
archaic
: depart
5
: waddle
1
: to swing to and fro or up and down especially with quick jerky motions : switch
a dog wagging its tail
specifically
: to nod (the head) or shake (a finger) at (as in assent or mild reproof)
2
: to move (the tongue) animatedly in conversation
wagger
noun
Synonyms
Examples of wag in a Sentence
Verb
The dog wagged its tail.
She wagged her finger at the children as she scolded them.
He wagged his head back and forth.
The dog's tail began to wag excitedly.
Noun (1)
the dog gave its tail a single wag before it flopped back down
Noun (2)
some wag wrote a droll satire on the scandal for the newspaper
Recent Examples on the Web
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2025
In a video posted on January 5, Rollo's owner can be seen walking into a hallway and being greeted by the guilty-looking dog, who looks up at his owner with puppy eyes while wagging his tail.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2025
Image For Wynne, the buttons are not only entirely superfluous to the communication humans and dogs already have but also potentially a distraction from their natural barks and howls, their tail wags and tucks.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wag 
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Verb
The junior running back, who just finished his season as the Heisman Trophy runner-up, had top-10 programs wagging big-money NIL deals under his nose ahead of his junior year.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2025
In a video posted on January 5, Rollo's owner can be seen walking into a hallway and being greeted by the guilty-looking dog, who looks up at his owner with puppy eyes while wagging his tail.
—Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
Photo: Sundance Institute / A24 When the trailer for A24’s The Legend of Ochi first premiered, some social media wags surmised (absurdly) that the film had been generated by artificial intelligence, thus stirring up a bizarre online brouhaha.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2025
Image For Wynne, the buttons are not only entirely superfluous to the communication humans and dogs already have but also potentially a distraction from their natural barks and howls, their tail wags and tucks.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wag
Dictionary Entries Near wag
Cite this Entry
“Wag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wag. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wag
1 of 3 verb
wagged; wagging
: to move or swing to and fro or up and down especially with quick jerky movements
the dog wagged its tail
wagged his finger as he scolded
wagger
noun
wag
2 of 3 noun
: a wagging movement
wag
3 of 3 noun
: joker sense 1, wit
Etymology
Verb
Middle English waggen "to be in motion, move about"
Noun
probably a shortened form of obsolete waghalter "a person who should be hanged"
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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