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
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
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Recent Examples of wagging
Swift and Styles set tongues wagging after they were spotted by paparazzi strolling together in November 2012, and things seemed even more heated after they were photographed sharing some New Year’s Eve smooches the following month.
—
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Blackberry is always ready to greet you with a wagging tail and a big smile.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Rather than sleeping soundly in bed or playing with a toy, the Ring camera footage showed the miniature dachshund standing on the glass dining table and wagging his tail.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Of course, with all the tail- and tongue-wagging joy our little friends get from tagging along comes some risk.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
If it’s held naturally and gently wagging side to side, the dog is probably relaxed and happy.
—Dawn Kovell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
That was until Mo Mahmoud sped past me in his Hellcat on I-94, wagging his tongue.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Dogs often show their happiness by wagging their tails, but one owner has learned those joyful wags can get canines into a bit of a predicament.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
These loyal companions love their humans unconditionally, greeting them at the door with a wagging tail or curling up at the foot of the bed, purring gently.
—Funnyfuzzy Contributor, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Blackberry is always ready to greet you with a wagging tail and a big smile.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Rather than sleeping soundly in bed or playing with a toy, the Ring camera footage showed the miniature dachshund standing on the glass dining table and wagging his tail.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Of course, with all the tail- and tongue-wagging joy our little friends get from tagging along comes some risk.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
If it’s held naturally and gently wagging side to side, the dog is probably relaxed and happy.
—Dawn Kovell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
That was until Mo Mahmoud sped past me in his Hellcat on I-94, wagging his tongue.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Dogs often show their happiness by wagging their tails, but one owner has learned those joyful wags can get canines into a bit of a predicament.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
These loyal companions love their humans unconditionally, greeting them at the door with a wagging tail or curling up at the foot of the bed, purring gently.
—Funnyfuzzy Contributor, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wagging
Verb
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While Manchester United’s Altay Bayindir (6ft 6in) was left flapping at a Declan Rice corner as Riccardo Calafiori nodded home, Raya easily dealt with similar issues later in the game, catching one delivery and punching the other well away from danger.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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These behaviors included; lifting one leg, spinning around on a perch, and flapping their wings on command (Figure 1B).—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 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
Verb
-
The degree to which Celine’s bob is bobbing can’t even be measured on a human scale.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Sylvester climbed in back, buds in his ears, iPod in hand, his head bobbing to some beat.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
-
While you guys had staff inside laughing, pointing and even flicking off the crowd outside.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
These parables sometimes read like gibberish, talking both down and up to the reader.—
Book Marks
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
And its representatives are talking a big game about making the country a wellspring of world-class AI companies.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In Ruidoso, New Mexico, the pounding hooves of racehorses have entranced crowds from across Texas and New Mexico every summer, pumping in millions of dollars from the All-American Derby, Oaks and Futurity races and the steady hum of seasonal jobs that carry this mountain village.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
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Instead of pumping in conventional air conditioning, it was surrounded by proprietary glass panes filled with cooled water.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
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Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The brief clip appeared to show one of the landing skids shaking moments before the crash.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken lightly in flour, shaking off excess.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wagging. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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