wig

1 of 2

noun

ˈwig 

1

a

: a manufactured covering of natural or synthetic hair for the head

b

: toupee sense 1

2

: an act of wigging : rebuke

wig

2 of 2

verb

wigged; wigging

transitive verb

: to scold severely

intransitive verb

slang : to lose one's composure or reason : freak

—usually used with out

Synonyms

Noun

• hairpiece
• rug [slang]
• toupee

Verb

• break down
• break up
• crack
• flip (out) [slang]
• freak (out)
• melt down

Examples of wig in a Sentence

Noun

She was wearing a blonde wig.

the cancer patient started wearing a wig after losing all of her hair from chemotherapy

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

When a woman stopped wearing a wig to work and started wearing her natural curly hair, her boss took issue with the change, according to court documents. —Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024

There is the flaming red wig worn by Lucille Ball in Du Barry Was a Lady, the gate from Jane Russell’s childhood home, Jean Harlow’s bottle of Mitsouko perfume, jewelry worn by Carole Lombard, and Mae West’s personal telephone. —Hadley Meares, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024

Then, a few seasons in, Preston — who was blond and wore a red wig on camera — decided to dye her hair red. —Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

Gender norms, associated with the use of wigs for men, began to be broken down. —Stixx Matthews, Essence, 28 Mar. 2024

In the trailer, Frazier situated Brunson’s wig and studied the result. —Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024

A number of them traveled to San Diego from around the country specifically to have their hair cut and then transformed into wigs for children and teens suffering from hair loss due to any number of medical conditions such as cancer and alopecia. —Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024

Throughout the weekend, Beyoncé served a collection of looks: from a ‘60s beehive wig and Flo Jo red nails, to turquoise shadow and floor-length tassel-like tresses hanging over her chaps. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024

Her freshman year, for example, Williams claimed students lost the privilege of having themed dress-up days for football games after some showed up in blackface and Afro wigs. —Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

short for periwig

First Known Use

Noun

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1829, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing wig

• flip one's wig
• fright wig

Kids Definition

wig

noun

ˈwig

: a manufactured covering of natural or artificial hair for the head