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wag

[wag]

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verb (used with object)

to move from side to side, forward and backward, or up and down, especially rapidly and repeatedly: a dog wagging its tail.

to move (the tongue), as in idle or indiscreet chatter.

to shake (a finger) at someone, as in reproach.

to move or nod (the head).

verb (used without object)

to be moved from side to side or one way and the other, especially rapidly and repeatedly, as the head or the tail.

to move constantly, especially in idle or indiscreet chatter: Her behavior caused local tongues to wag.

to get along; travel; proceed: Let the world wag how it will.

to totter or sway.

British Slang. to play truant; play hooky.

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Wag is one of our favorite verbs.

So is lollygag. Does it mean:

to spend time idly; loaf.

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

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noun

10.

the act of wagging: a friendly wag of the tail.

11.

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

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English waggen < Old Norse vaga to sway, or vagga cradle

Related forms

wag·ger, noun

un·wagged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To wag

Example Sentences

When dogs feel fundamentally positive about something or someone, their tails wag more to the right side of their rumps.

It is irresponsible to let the crazy tail wag the dog.

Shifting the tax burden from the rich to future generations, as one wag put it, serves no one's interests.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

wag¹ (wæɡ)

—vb , wags, wagging, wagged
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)

—n
5.	the act or an instance of wagging

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

wag² (wæɡ)

—n
	a humorous or jocular person; wit

[C16: of uncertain origin]

'waggery²

—n

'waggish²

—*adj*

'waggishly²

—*adv*

'waggishness²

—n

Wag (wæɡ)

—n
	informal the wife or girlfriend of a famous sportsman

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

WAG

—*abbreviation for*
	(West Africa) Gambia (international car registration)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

wag

early 13c., probably from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. vagga "a cradle," Dan. vugge "rock a cradle," O.Swed. wagga "fluctuate"), and in part from O.E. wagian "move backwards and forwards;" all from P.Gmc. *wagojanan (cf. O.H.G. weggen, Goth. wagjan "to wag"), probably from PIE base *wegh- "to move about"

EXPAND

(see weigh). Wagtail is attested from c.1500 as a kind of small bird; 18c. as "a harlot," but seems to be implied much earlier:

"If therefore thou make not thy mistress a goldfinch, thou mayst chance to find her a wagtaile." [Lyly, "Midas," 1592]

Wag-at-the-wall (1825) was an old name for a hanging clock with pendulum and weights exposed.

wag

"person fond of making jokes," 1553, perhaps a shortening of waghalter "gallows bird," person destined to swing in a noose or halter, applied humorously to mischievous children, from wag (v.) + halter. Or possibly directly from wag (v.).

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American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

WAG
Gambia (international vehicle ID)

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

wag

see tail wagging the dog; tongues wag.

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Idioms & Phrases

tail wagging the dog

tongues wag

Matching Quote

"Cat-lovers will no doubt point out that the elegance and dignity of cats are the consequence of their sojourn in the temples of the gods, where their attitudes and movements were regarded as divine prognostications. Be that as it may, it is obvious that the cat's wealth of expressions make it an ideal candidate for such a role. Unlike the dog, which either wags its tail or does not wag its tail, the cat possesses a wide range of means to convey its emotions: It arches its back, makes its fur stand on end, meows, rubs itself against furniture and against humans, purrs, lashes its tail, spits, and hisses. The priests of Bacht, therefore, had ample material for interpretation."

-Philippe Diolé

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