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
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
Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
The Naked Gun stars Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson sent tongues wagging over the summer with their flirty press tour while promoting the reboot of the slapstick police spoof comedies of the 1980s.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
One wag at the end of the table says that computer science is no longer the ticket to riches, too much vibe coding and artificial intelligence, then another says that management consulting is over, the AI grunts will do the basic MBA work.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wag
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Major League Baseball wagged a finger with one hand and palmed gate receipts and a new TV deal in the other.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
The Naked Gun stars Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson sent tongues wagging over the summer with their flirty press tour while promoting the reboot of the slapstick police spoof comedies of the 1980s.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Noun
When Cody the golden retriever was introduced to his new sibling, his owner probably would have hoped for some happy tail wags and some curious sniffs to show his curiosity.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
One wag at the end of the table says that computer science is no longer the ticket to riches, too much vibe coding and artificial intelligence, then another says that management consulting is over, the AI grunts will do the basic MBA work.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wag
Cite this Entry
“Wag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wag. Accessed 15 Dec. 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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