plural tags
1
: a loose hanging piece of cloth : tatter
2
: a metal or plastic binding on an end of a shoelace
3
: a piece of hanging or attached material
specifically
: a loop, knot, or tassel on a garment
4
a
: a brief quotation used for rhetorical emphasis or sententious effect
b
: a recurrent or characteristic verbal expression
c
5
a
: a cardboard, plastic, or metal marker used for identification or classification
license tags
b
: a descriptive or identifying epithet
c
: something used for identification or location : flag
d
e
f
: an element of code in a computer document used especially to control format and layout or to establish a hyperlink
g
: hashtag
… nuns shared their daily lives on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter with the tag #MediaNuns …—
Elizabeth Bruenig
Elizabeth Bruenig
h
: a string of text (such as the symbol @ followed by a person's username) that is used to tag a person or account in a social media post
While it's impossible to prohibit a friend from tagging you, Facebook allows you to review all tags before they appear on your profile.—Lara Webster
Lara Webster6
: a detached fragmentary piece : bit
7
: a graffito in the form of an identifying name or symbol
tagged; tagging; tags
1
: to provide or mark with or as if with a tag: such as
a
: to supply with an identifying marker or price
was tagged at $4.95
c
: to put a ticket on (a motor vehicle) for a traffic violation
d
: to deface with a graffito usually in the form of the defacer's nickname
e
: to supply (something, such as a social media post) with a hashtag
Don't forget to submit your photos of Montreal via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by tagging them with #ThisMtl.—Montreal Gazette
Montreal Gazette
f
: to mention (another person or account) in a social media post in a way that causes the person or account to be notified of the post
On Facebook, if someone wants to get your attention or make it clear to others that you are somehow connected to a post, they can tag you in it. Your name will be mentioned in the post or with the photo, and everyone else who sees it will also know that you are mentioned.—Dave Johnson
Dave JohnsonKnowing how to tag someone on Facebook means also knowing how to tag someone on Twitter and Instagram. Simply use the @ symbol to start a tag.—ThriveHive.com
ThriveHive.comMy friends went back and tagged me in all the photos I'd missed …—Rachel Kraus
Rachel KrausInstagram allows users to reshare posts they've been tagged in to their own Story.—Devon Delfino
Devon Delfino2
: to attach as an addition : append
3
: to follow closely and persistently
4
: to hold to account
especially
: to charge with violating the law
was tagged for … assault —Burt Woolis
Burt Woolis 5
: to keep close
tagging at their heels—Corey Ford
Corey Ford1
: a game in which the player who is it chases others and tries to touch one of them who then becomes it
2
: an act or instance of tagging a runner in baseball
tagged; tagging
1
a
: to touch in or as if in a game of tag
b
: to put out (a runner) in baseball by a touch with the ball or the gloved hand containing the ball
2
: to hit solidly
3
: to choose usually for a special purpose : select
4
: to make a hit or run off (a pitcher) in baseball
the batter tagged him for a home run
the adjutant general
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Verb (1)
Verb (2)
Examples of tag in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebJacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
Ewing said law enforcement typically seizes tags that have been expired for a long time or that have been fraudulently changed to appear to be valid.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The attractive, dark image pages show tags and allow comments and downloading.
—PCMAG, 26 Mar. 2024
As older men sat and read the Quran between prayer times, children rolled, somersaulted, and played tag.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2024
Those hoping to scoop up a bag on eBay will have to be prepared to shell out a bit more than the original tag price.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2024
Experts have been aware of the tags' vulnerabilities since their release in April 2021.
—CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024
Pittman, who was originally given the franchise tag from the Colts, agreed to a three-year $70 million deal which works out to $23.3 million APY.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Two suitcases in the back of the vehicle had cruise tags.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
Bryan West, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Patrick tagged his wife in the video and added three crying-with-laughter emojis to the caption.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
The Cardinals’ outfielders had finally got the ball to the infield, and Ohtani was tagged out on his way back to second.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Ohtani brushed off a miscue of his own, getting tagged out on a first-inning double after failing to see Betts get held up in front of him at third base.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Dior’s top position in the fashion category, with $59.2 million in MIV, is partly due to house ambassador Jenna Ortega tagging the brand in her Emmys red carpet Instagram post, which drew 3.6 million likes and more than 16,200 comments.
—Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
In some previous years, the CMT Music Awards have given out a Johnny Cash Visionary Award, first given to Cash himself in 2003 (before his name was tagged on to the title), then to artists such as Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams Jr. and Reba McEntire.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024
Small, 27, had allowed one run and struck out six batters over his first two outings but was tagged for five runs and a pair of homers.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024
Coco Gauff recently enjoyed some downtime with her friends and fellow tennis stars, Ben Shelton and Chris Eubanks,
Gauff, 20, was tagged in an Instagram photo shared by Shelton, 21, on Tuesday, and the tennis star reposted the picture to her story.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
Noun
The prep sink was filled with raw oysters but inspectors didn’t see shellfish tags on them, Wednesday’s report said.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024
Ewing said law enforcement typically seizes tags that have been expired for a long time or that have been fraudulently changed to appear to be valid.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The attractive, dark image pages show tags and allow comments and downloading.
—PCMAG, 26 Mar. 2024
As older men sat and read the Quran between prayer times, children rolled, somersaulted, and played tag.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2024
Those hoping to scoop up a bag on eBay will have to be prepared to shell out a bit more than the original tag price.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2024
Experts have been aware of the tags' vulnerabilities since their release in April 2021.
—CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024
Pittman, who was originally given the franchise tag from the Colts, agreed to a three-year $70 million deal which works out to $23.3 million APY.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Two suitcases in the back of the vehicle had cruise tags.
—USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024
Verb
Lily’s mom, Jessica, mentioned where their seats were on social media and tagged Taylor Nation, Swift's marketing account.
—Bryan West, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Patrick tagged his wife in the video and added three crying-with-laughter emojis to the caption.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
The Cardinals’ outfielders had finally got the ball to the infield, and Ohtani was tagged out on his way back to second.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Ohtani brushed off a miscue of his own, getting tagged out on a first-inning double after failing to see Betts get held up in front of him at third base.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Dior’s top position in the fashion category, with $59.2 million in MIV, is partly due to house ambassador Jenna Ortega tagging the brand in her Emmys red carpet Instagram post, which drew 3.6 million likes and more than 16,200 comments.
—Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
In some previous years, the CMT Music Awards have given out a Johnny Cash Visionary Award, first given to Cash himself in 2003 (before his name was tagged on to the title), then to artists such as Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams Jr. and Reba McEntire.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024
Small, 27, had allowed one run and struck out six batters over his first two outings but was tagged for five runs and a pair of homers.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024
Coco Gauff recently enjoyed some downtime with her friends and fellow tennis stars, Ben Shelton and Chris Eubanks,
Gauff, 20, was tagged in an Instagram photo shared by Shelton, 21, on Tuesday, and the tennis star reposted the picture to her story.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English tagge; akin to Middle Low German tagge, tacke twig, spike
Noun (2)
origin unknown
First Known Use
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (1)
1627, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun (2)
1738, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (2)
1878, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of tag was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing tag
Dictionary Entries Near tag
Cite this Entry
“Tag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tag. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
tag
1 of 4 noun1
: a loose hanging piece of cloth : tatter
2
: a metal or plastic binding on an end of a shoelace
3
: tag line
4
a
: something (as a marker) used for identification
specifically
: hangtag
b
: a part of a computer file that controls the format or layout of a document or that indicates a hyperlink (as "〈it〉" to indicate italic type)
tag
2 of 4 verb
tagged; tagging
1
: to provide or mark with or as if with a tag
2
: to follow closely and continuously
tag
3 of 4 noun1
: a game in which one player who is it chases the others and tries to touch one of them to make that person it
2
: an act or instance of tagging a runner in baseball
tag
4 of 4 verb
tagged; tagging
1
: to touch in a game of tag
2
: to put out (a runner) in baseball by touching with the ball or with the gloved hand holding the ball
Etymology
Noun
Middle English tagge "a hanging piece of loose cloth"; of Germanic origin
Noun
origin unknown
More from Merriam-Webster on tag
Nglish: Translation of tag for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tag for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tag
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