Wag Meaning

/wæɡ/
B2

Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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verbTo swing from side to side, as an animal's tail, or someone's head to express disagreement or disbelief.

verbTo play truant from school.

Dogs wag their tails and cats swish theirs.
Tom used to wag school a lot when he was a kid.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The dog began to ____ its tail happily when its owner came home.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The happy dog started to ____ its tail as soon as its owner walked through the front door tonight today.

From Middle English waggen, probably from Old English wagian (“to wag, wave, shake”) with reinforcement from Old Norse vaga (“to wag, waddle”); both from Proto-Germanic *wagōną (“to wag”). Related to English way. The verb may be regarded as an iterative or emphatic form of waw (verb), which is often nearly synonymous; it was used, e.g., of a loose tooth. Parallel formations from the same root are the Old Norse vagga feminine, cradle (Swedish vagga, Danish vugge), Swedish vagga (“to rock a cradle”), vugge (“to rock a cradle”), Dutch wagen (“to move”), early modern German waggen (dialectal German wacken) to waver, totter. Compare waggle, verb

"No discerner durst wag his tongue in censure." — 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
"Every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head." — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Bible Jeremiah:18–16:
"Carrados wagged his head in good-humoured resignation." — 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
""My misfortunes all began in wagging, Sir; but what could I do, exceptin' wag?" "Excepting what?" said Mr. Carker. "Wag, Sir. Wagging from school." "Do you mean pretending to go there, and not going?" said Mr. Carker. "Yes, Sir, that's wagging, Sir."" — 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “chapter xxii”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:
"They had "wagged it" from school, as they termed it, which..meant truancy in all its forms." — 1901, William Sylvester Walker, Blood, i. 13:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
The dog began to ____ its tail happily when its owner came home.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The happy dog started to ____ its tail as soon as its owner walked through the front door tonight today.

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