Wag

/wæɡ/ · verb

Meaning

(ambitransitive) To swing from side to side, as an animal's tail, or someone's head to express disagreement or disbelief..

Definitions by Sense

1. (ambitransitive) To swing from side to side, as an animal's tail, or someone's head to express disagreement or disbelief.
2. (UK, Australia, New Zealand, slang) To play truant from school.
3. (intransitive, chiefly obsolete) To go; to proceed; to move; to progress.
4. To move continually, especially in gossip; said of the tongue.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To leave; to depart.
6. (intransitive, cricket, slang) Of the tail (lower order of the batting lineup): to score more runs than expected.
7. An oscillating movement.
8. A witty person.

Example Sentences

No discerner durst wag his tongue in censure.

Every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.

Carrados wagged his head in good-humoured resignation.

"My misfortunes all began in wagging, Sir; but what could I do, exceptin' wag?" "Excepting what?" said Mr. Carker. "Wag, Sir. Wagging from school." "Do you mean pretending to go there, and not going?" said Mr. Carker. "Yes, Sir, that's wagging, Sir."

They had "wagged it" from school, as they termed it, which..meant truancy in all its forms.

[…] she wagged English and Science just to go in his car […]

"Thus we may see," quoth he, "how the world wags."

She's a real gossip: her tongue is always wagging.

Synonyms for wag

Antonyms for wag

Related Words

Word Forms

• wags
• wagging
• wagged

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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