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View synonyms for

wag

[ wag ]

verb (used with object)

wagged, wagging.
  1. to move from side to side, forward and backward, or up and down, especially rapidly and repeatedly:

    a dog wagging its tail.

  2. to move (the tongue), as in idle or indiscreet chatter.
  3. to shake (a finger) at someone, as in reproach.
  4. to move or nod (the head).


verb (used without object)

wagged, wagging.
  1. to be moved from side to side or one way and the other, especially rapidly and repeatedly, as the head or the tail.
  2. to move constantly, especially in idle or indiscreet chatter:

    Her behavior caused local tongues to wag.

  3. to get along; travel; proceed:

    Let the world wag how it will.

  4. to totter or sway.
  5. British Slang. to play truant; play hooky.

noun

  1. the act of wagging:

    a friendly wag of the tail.

  2. a person given to droll, roguish, or mischievous humor; wit.

WAG

1

abbreviation for

  1. (West Africa) Gambia (international car registration)
“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

Wag

2

/ æɡ /

noun

  1. informal.
    the wife or girlfriend of a famous sportsman
“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

wag

3

/ æɡ /

verb

  1. to move or cause to move rapidly and repeatedly from side to side or up and down
  2. to move (the tongue) or (of the tongue) to be moved rapidly in talking, esp in idle gossip
  3. to move (the finger) or (of the finger) to be moved from side to side, in or as in admonition
  4. slang.
    to play truant (esp in the phrase wag it )
“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

noun

  1. the act or an instance of wagging
“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

wag

4

/ æɡ /

noun

  1. a humorous or jocular person; wit
“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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Derived Forms

  • ˈɲԱ, noun
  • ˈɲ, adverb
  • ˈɲ, adjective
  • ˈɲ, noun
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Other yvlogs From

  • ɲg noun
  • ܲ·ɲ adjective
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of wag1

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English waggen, from Old Norse vaga “to sway,” or from vagga “c”
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of wag1

C21: a back formation from an acronym for w ( ives ) a ( nd ) g ( irlfriends )

Origin of wag2

C13: from Old English wagian to shake; compare Old Norse vagga cradle

Origin of wag3

C16: of uncertain origin
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Idioms and Phrases

see tail wagging the dog ; tongues wag .
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Example Sentences

Throughout our chat outside the gate, Doug sits at Lily's feet, wagging his tail, apparently happy to be getting so much attention.

From

Her shadow interacts with the physical world, too, making wind chimes whistle with a wag of her fingers — a deliciously spooky detail the movie doesn’t make enough hay out of.

From

In this and in other areas questions arise about whether the "OBR tail wags the policy dog" - i.e. is this really the way long-term policy should be formed?

From

If you'll recall it was the cause celebre of the 2021 Virginia governor's race which had all the DC tongues wagging about the resurgence of the right-wing culture war.

From

Yeah, but people write music sometimes to have the jets — it’s the tail wagging the dog.

From

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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.

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