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
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Recent Examples of wag
Rena Goldman, EverydayHealth.com, 7 Jan. 2026
This adorable costume looks poised to rule over The Masked Singer stage with a flick of her paw and a wag of her stumpy tail.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Blair Braverman, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
Tail wagging, happy whining, and excited greetings when your husband comes home tell me Eddie likes him.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wag
Noun
The real dog sniffed Jennie and gave an approving tail wag.
—Rena Goldman, EverydayHealth.com, 7 Jan. 2026
This adorable costume looks poised to rule over The Masked Singer stage with a flick of her paw and a wag of her stumpy tail.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Verb
The common room is lined with artwork and fake flowers (real flowers die, Max explains, when they’re frozen in ice); two little black dogs wag underfoot.
—Blair Braverman, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026
Tail wagging, happy whining, and excited greetings when your husband comes home tell me Eddie likes him.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wag
Verb
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Our boot laces were broken and knotted, our tattered and ice-caked pants flapped around our legs, and at night our wet clothing froze stiff.—
Elwyn "Bud" Myers,
Outdoor Life,
11 Mar. 2026
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Yes, literally like a bird flapping its wings.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Plus the balcony is useful for intrigues and gossiping about the people below, as seen at Lady Danbury’s ball in season one of Bridgerton.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
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Lilian liked Anna, who was on the school board, knew what was going on, and gossiped matter-of-factly with neither pettiness nor zeal.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even as the Hudson Theatre was still filling up, the star of the Harry Potter movie franchise (and much theater after that) was bobbing and flitting from row to row, exuding equal parts friendliness and determination of purpose.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
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The most effective methods are those that involve movement, such as long strips of aluminum foil, holographic mylar tape streamers, or bobbing balloons, says Pierce.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Samson Fellows shuffled in his slippers to a small space heater and flicked it on.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 Mar. 2026
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Andrew Mangiapane scored his first goal as a Blackhawk since being acquired in a trade from Edmonton last week, and Andre Burakovsky lifted the puck on his stick lacrosse style and flicked it into the net to tie the game at 2-2 late in the second period.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Conservatives tried and failed to convince Thune to pursue a talking filibuster, an old-school way of blockading legislation that might eventually allow the SAVE America Act to pass at 50 votes.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
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Documents said that police said Michaud talked with the student about the school and the CPS investigation.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After the game, the Islanders stayed on the ice and shook hands with Kings captain Kopitar, who is playing in his 20th and final season in the NHL.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
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Palmer shook off the incident and continued leading a conversation about the new movie, which was the SXSW Film Festival opener Thursday night at the Paramount Theatre.—
Julianna Duennes Russ,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Behind them a young man with a paint-flecked beard followed the designer about the set, twitching the hem of the velvet curtains hung at the window and rearranging the ornaments on the mantelpiece.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
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Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Experts say the unique geology of California’s fields, and the nature of its heavy crude, make new projects, and efforts to pump more oil out of existing ones, costlier and more energy-intensive than drilling in other parts of the country.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
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Moreover, since these frogs can hunker in the mud for days, conservationists resort to pumping water out and allowing the bed to completely dry out, to ferret out every last straggler.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wag. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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