1
as in flapped
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
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2
as in talked
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 wagged
In response, Estabrook wagged his finger toward the Bombers’ bench in the fourth inning.
—
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Kadri looked up, briefly, then wagged a gloved finger in appreciation.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Andy hopped onto a nearby settee and wagged his tail.
—Margaret Moorman, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
After his score was announced Tuesday, Malinin’s coach, Rafael Arutyunyan, confidently wagged a single finger in the air.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Major League Baseball wagged a finger with one hand and palmed gate receipts and a new TV deal in the other.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
The once-weak puppy woke up with new energy—and even wagged her tail for the first time.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
His dog, Bull, wagged his tail and sniffed at the patch of browning grass under his paws.
—Molly Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Nov. 2025
Hope then asked to hold the pup, who has curly sandy-colored fur and wagged her tail as the 6-year-old held her in her arms (with a little help from her mom).
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Kadri looked up, briefly, then wagged a gloved finger in appreciation.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Andy hopped onto a nearby settee and wagged his tail.
—Margaret Moorman, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
After his score was announced Tuesday, Malinin’s coach, Rafael Arutyunyan, confidently wagged a single finger in the air.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Major League Baseball wagged a finger with one hand and palmed gate receipts and a new TV deal in the other.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
The once-weak puppy woke up with new energy—and even wagged her tail for the first time.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
His dog, Bull, wagged his tail and sniffed at the patch of browning grass under his paws.
—Molly Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Nov. 2025
Hope then asked to hold the pup, who has curly sandy-colored fur and wagged her tail as the 6-year-old held her in her arms (with a little help from her mom).
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wagged
Verb
-
The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.—
The Editors,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
-
As is customary for the deaths of first responders, a gigantic American flag flapped from a crane outside the morgue.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He's also started to reinterview people investigators first talked with at the time Nathan Edberg went missing.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
DeLoy and his three oldest kids hadn't talked since.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pink poodles with long black eyelashes danced in a can-can line, a quartet of googly-eyed cacti bobbed along to the music and a trio of small white dogs galloped on the stage.—
Rebecca Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Koch bobbed by again, this time with glasses and a Harry Potter lightning bolt doodled on her face.—
Michael Tedder,
The Atlantic,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
White flicked home a diving header, off an entry pass played by Bruno Caicedo, to cap the scoring in the 87th minute.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
There was one possible offside from the initial cross, a second if the ball had been flicked on in the next phase, followed by doubt over whether the Coventry City striker had scored with his arm.—
Graham Scott,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The records have thousands of references to Trump, including emails in which Epstein and others shared news articles, commented on his policies, or gossiped about him and his family.—
Michael R. Sisak,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The pair shook hands and shared some laughs with those waiting in line to see them.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Bennedict Mathurin shook off his recent slump to score a team-high 20 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists.—
Janis Carr,
Daily News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wagged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wagged. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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