nagged; nagging
1
: to find fault incessantly : complain
2
: to be a persistent source of annoyance or distraction
nagger
noun
: one who nags habitually
plural -s
1
: a member of a race of spirits recognized in Hinduism and Buddhism that have mingled superhuman and serpent qualities, are genii of waters and rain, and live in a subaqueous kingdom
2
: a Hindu mendicant of any of various sects
plural Naga or Nagas
1
a
: one of a group of Tibeto-Burman peoples in the Naga hills, Assam, and in adjoining parts of Burma east of the Chindwin river and the Hukawng valley
b
: a member of any such group
2
: any of the Tibeto-Burman languages of the Naga peoples
Examples of nag in a Sentence
Verb
Mom's always nagging me about my hair.
All you ever do is nag.
My parents are always nagging me to clean my room.
He kept nagging her until she agreed to see the movie.
Quit nagging! I already said I'm not going.
Noun (2)
a poor farmer who could only afford one old nag
Recent Examples on the Web
David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
But his promise to visit Bolduc’s widow nagged at him.
—Kevin Maurer, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Jan. 2026
In football years, a 15th-century knight in dull armor riding an old swayback nag.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nag
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Verb
On Saturday night, with Karl-Anthony Towns and OG nagged by foul trouble and the bench players struggling, Brunson refused to give in.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
But his promise to visit Bolduc’s widow nagged at him.
—Kevin Maurer, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
Noun
Microsoft has also tried to upsell its OneDrive cloud storage with constant nags in Windows 11.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Jan. 2026
In football years, a 15th-century knight in dull armor riding an old swayback nag.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nag
Cite this Entry
“Nag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nag. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nag
1 of 3 noun
: horse entry 1 sense 1a
especially
: a horse that is old and in poor condition
nag
2 of 3 verb
nagged; nagging
1
: to annoy by repeated faultfinding, scolding, or urging
kept nagging me to let her come
always nags him to clean his room
2
: to cause (someone) to feel annoyed or worried for a long period of time
a problem that nagged at her
nagger
noun
nag
3 of 3 noun
: a person who frequently nags
Etymology
Noun
Middle English nagge "horse"
Verb
probably of Scandinavian origin
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