wag

1 of 3

verb

wagged; wagging

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

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

wag

2 of 3

noun (1)

: an act of wagging : shake

wag

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
: wit, joker
2
obsolete : a young man : chap

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English waggen; akin to Middle High German wacken to totter, Old English wegan to move — more at way

Noun (2)

probably short for obsolete English waghalter gallows bird, from English wag entry 1 + halter

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1589, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wag was in the 13th century

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.

Kids 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
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"

More from Merriam-Webster on wag

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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