as in flap
a quick jerky movement from side to side or up and down
the dog gave its tail a single wag before it flopped back down
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in comedian
a person (as a writer) noted for or specializing in humor
some wag wrote a droll satire on the scandal for the newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to flap
to move from side to side or up and down with quick jerky motions
the cat's tail wagged back and forth in annoyance
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to gossip
to relate sometimes questionable or secret information of a personal nature
tongues will wag as soon as word of the house's selling price gets around
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of wag
Michael Snyder, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
When it was all said and done and Yorkie gave one final wag of her tail, she was revealed to be Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, singer, and actress Erika Jayne.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Bailey Richards, People.com, 16 July 2025
The big pointer crouched slightly and wagged her tail once.
—H. R. Temple, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wag
Noun
Shakespeare’s world-weary wags spoke truth to King Lear and other royals, while the heyoka, the holy fool of many Sioux tribes, inverted day-to-day logic to provoke healing laughter.
—Michael Snyder, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
When it was all said and done and Yorkie gave one final wag of her tail, she was revealed to be Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, singer, and actress Erika Jayne.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
One video also showed the late pup stretching and wagging her tail excitedly.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 16 July 2025
The big pointer crouched slightly and wagged her tail once.
—H. R. Temple, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for wag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wag
Verb
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The researchers found that condors flap their wings for less than 1% of their total flight time, with one bird covering over 100 miles in a single stretch without flapping at all.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
27 July 2025
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The management posted a notice forbidding all persons wearing mules to use the escalator as the flapping soles might get caught in the steps.—
Eileen Chang,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Nancy and Minh are there too, but primarily to set up Peggy’s consternation that her neighbors, along with the rest of Rainey Street, have become a bunch of phone addicts hiding behind their Ring cams and gossiping on the Neighbors app instead of interacting face to face.—
Genevieve Koski,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
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These are all signals of withdrawal that can evolve into complaining, blaming, and gossiping.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
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The glittering Riviera glints with coastal glamour—here, sunbathers recline on pebbled beaches, yachts bob in turquoise harbors, and rosé flows beneath striped parasols.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Two paragliders bobbed from updraft to updraft in an effort to fly up the Baltoro Glacier to K2.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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As onlookers cheered her on, the musician held a stack of bills and flicked them all over the ground around the bride and groom, who danced and laughed in excitement.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Midfielder Courtney Brown received the ball on the left wing and swung in a bending cross, which playmaker Croix Bethune deftly flicked on towards the back post.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Altman and lesser personalities in the AI space often talk this way, making extreme, matter-of-fact proclamations about the future and sounding like kids playing a strategy game.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
18 Aug. 2025
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One way was talking to journalists who hadn’t covered ’98.—
Maer Roshan,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Han shook off criticisms of the small ring by also noting that both Belly and Jeremiah are college students on a budget.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Netflix is back out looking for a director for Fast and Loose, after Michael Bay and Will Smith were unable to bridge creative differences and Bay shook loose of the film Wednesday.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One of the 50 boys starts convulsing on the road, and as Jonsson and Hoffman’s characters walk backwards to see what happens, soldiers have their guns trained on his twitching body before a gunshot rings out.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
25 July 2025
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This is why after a snake is killed, its body will still twitch and move around, and why its head can still bite.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 July 2025
Verb
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The heart must work harder to pump the thick blood, which may increase blood pressure.—
Ayesha Gulzar,
Verywell Health,
7 Aug. 2025
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Supporters, led by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, plan to pump millions of dollars into a campaign in favor of the referendum.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wag. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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