1
as in flapping
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
Relevance
2
as in gossiping
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wagging
Start your new year with love, cuddles and wagging tails!
—
Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
Christmas cheer came early, with wagging tails and floppy ears.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
Her body became stiff, alert, and her ever-wagging tail dropped low.
—Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
The Naked Gun stars Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson sent tongues wagging over the summer with their flirty press tour while promoting the reboot of the slapstick police spoof comedies of the 1980s.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Tongues wagging across the country, everyone up in arms over the scandal.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
The heartwarming clip shared in November under the username @laurenandcody shows the golden retriever, Charlie, jumping around, wagging his tail, and burying his head in the snow, after his owner took him out to enjoy the first snowfall of the year.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
There wasn’t any tailgating at Gillette Stadium Sunday, but there were plenty of wagging tails.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Kiss’ original lineup included Frehley, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, tongue-wagging bassist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
Christmas cheer came early, with wagging tails and floppy ears.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
Her body became stiff, alert, and her ever-wagging tail dropped low.
—Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
The Naked Gun stars Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson sent tongues wagging over the summer with their flirty press tour while promoting the reboot of the slapstick police spoof comedies of the 1980s.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Tongues wagging across the country, everyone up in arms over the scandal.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025
The heartwarming clip shared in November under the username @laurenandcody shows the golden retriever, Charlie, jumping around, wagging his tail, and burying his head in the snow, after his owner took him out to enjoy the first snowfall of the year.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
There wasn’t any tailgating at Gillette Stadium Sunday, but there were plenty of wagging tails.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Kiss’ original lineup included Frehley, singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, tongue-wagging bassist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wagging
Verb
-
The attention to detail both inside and out is notable, and even goes so far as to include an artificial breeze that keeps a US flag installation always flapping in the wind.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Dec. 2025
-
But those series understood how to trace the flapping-butterfly-wing effects of such brutal actions outward, to take the violence and pain of our collective past and connect them to what this country would eventually become.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
And what exactly are people gossiping about — and suing one another over — in the Hamptons?—
Curbed Staff,
Curbed,
16 Dec. 2025
-
But when things go smoothly, the crew is mostly left to their own devices—and the minimal supervision leaves a lot of room for gossiping, flirting, getting high, and blasting EDM in the high-speed quad line.—
Corey Buhay,
Outside,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The faceless head of a man bobbing in the water recalls the countless Africans who perished during the perilous journey due to disease, malnourishment, and abuse, whose bodies were thrown overboard by unscrupulous ship captains and slavers to schools of sharks.—
James Meyer,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
-
The view inside the Phoenix Convention Center, seen from a mezzanine, was a sea of bobbing caps.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Older supporters will remember it well and, if anyone from the younger generation wants a glimpse into those times, perhaps a good place to start is by flicking through the pages of The Complete History Of Manchester City, written by football historian Gary James and published in 1997.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
The reptile reacts to being picked up by flicking its meaty tail back and forth, whacking a few of the deputies.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Frankly, talking cost per use, the nail care hack pays for itself.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Seconds before the shooting, Good and her wife are seen talking to Ross.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
To this day, as much fun as Johnson has with his offensive artistry, little gets his blood pumping like bringing a mauling running game to life.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Countries like China let their industries pollute freely, dumping chemicals into rivers, pumping toxins into the air and throwing plastics into the ocean.—
Chip Lamarca,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
His eye is twitching, just a little.—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
-
In a heartbreaking video, a partially paralyzed dog is caught twitching his paws in his sleep, and internet users can’t stop sobbing.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Structure information summary Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
While Bryant was able to come from behind, the Lady Hornets had a hard time shaking off the Lady Warriors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wagging. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
