wagging

verb

present participle of wag
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

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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
3
as in bobbing
to make short up-and-down movements the bird's head wagged jerkily as it looked for worms

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 At the time, the project felt hyperbolic, largely because of the finger-wagging interventions of Zillah, a modern-day punk anarchist who ranted about Reagan as a new Hitler. — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026 The Rolling Stones are not done wagging their Foreign Tongues. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026 Think again about kids wagging their fingers in each other’s faces on a playground. — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026 From the creators of DreamWorks Animation’s hit series Gabby’s Dollhouse, Doozie’s Doghouse is a mixed-media companion series that continues the fun with tail-wagging surprises, woof-tastic unboxings, and imaginative play. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026 In one corner, co-owner Teri Lippy, who runs the brewery alongside her husband, Jack, and Ray and Christy Hutchinson, leaned down to hand treats to two tail-wagging yellow Labs brought in by their owner. — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026 From dogs dressed up in costume to those doing tricks, there was a lot of tail-wagging fun at the BowWow PowWow on Saturday. — Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2026 The result is food that supports your dog's nutritional needs and is delicious enough to keep tails wagging at mealtime. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 The Pomeranian munchkins in Munchkinland skitter around, sniffing wagging butts. — Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wagging
  1. flapping
  2. gossiping
  3. bobbing
  4. flicking
  5. talking
  6. pumping
  7. twitching
  8. shaking
Verb
  • Still, the very idea of such a thing freezes my brain, locking it into a mental feedback loop that’s the equivalent of running around in a tight circle flapping my arms wildly and screaming.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Chris, often strung out on morphine, his memory and his wits addled by cancer, has become a jaw-flapping liability.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of flapping
Verb
  • There is no one in the dining hall except for a table of cleaning staff, sitting and gossiping.
    — Aube Rey Lescure, Longreads, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The two women start to hang out again like college pals, gossiping and hip-hip dancing and — always – splitting a bottle of white wine.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of gossiping
Verb
  • Our little skiff, known around here as an alijo, is bobbing like a toy as our captain gently tugs on a few lines descending into the water.
    — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • On Collins Ave in Miami Beach, the yachts along the intracoastal were bobbing nearly at street level.
    — Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of bobbing
Verb
  • Instamall plans to keep adding brands, but it is already hooked into the inventory systems of its existing partners, so expanding the service to new cities could be as easy as flicking a switch.
    — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Coming for a variety of longtime critics of the merger, opposition rose and suspicion about the settlement served to pour gasoline on an already flicking fire.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of flicking
Verb
  • Democrats are talking more cautiously now, and the party is rooting them on from DC.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Her intentions were made clear in exchanges on social media with Bowden, who harshly criticized Honeycutt for crossing party lines, particularly for talking with Ocasio-Cortez.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of talking
Verb
  • Their findings, published in Langmuir, could help address the challenges the industry faces with conventional liquid and gel propellants, including fuel movement inside tanks and pumping fuel into engines.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
  • These are year-round destinations that offer world-class art, adrenaline-pumping slopes, and family-friendly activities.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of pumping
Verb
  • Previous research by the researchers documented twitching limbs and moving retinas in another jumping spider species.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026
  • This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of twitching
Verb
  • The Catholic headquarters revealed that the two figures had linked up by sharing a photo on Instagram of them shaking hands.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Candidates make final push during last-minute campaigning Hochul spent Monday in New York City, shaking hands, taking selfies and even bowling a strike at a campaign rally in Brooklyn.
    — Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of shaking

Browse Nearby Words

waggery
wagging
waggish
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Cite this Entry

“Wagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wagging. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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