as in flaps
a quick jerky movement from side to side or up and down
the dog gave its tail a single wag before it flopped back down
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in comedians
a person (as a writer) noted for or specializing in humor
some wag wrote a droll satire on the scandal for the newspaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in waggles
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
2
as in gossips
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
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Recent Examples of wags
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2026
One hums with high-speed drills and anxiety; the other echoes with joyful barks and tail wags.
—Henry I. Miller, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
That has, at least, spawned a rich stream of social media content, with wags across the world editing iconic cricket clips with the commentary coming before them.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Once returned to their moms, Lizzie and Bambie were all wags.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 23 Dec. 2025
When Cody the golden retriever was introduced to his new sibling, his owner probably would have hoped for some happy tail wags and some curious sniffs to show his curiosity.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Less bending for pets + slower eating habits = better digestion and more tail wags.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2025
Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Yet the gas tail still wags the dog.
—David Frykman, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 21 Jan. 2026
In a lot of ways, Phil is the tail that wags the dog.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
As Gino wags his finger at his estranged wife, Natalie begins to approach Jasmine.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Learn why the world wags and what wags it.
—Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
Noun
Many critics, political pundits, and wags asked, somewhat rhetorically, whether anyone in the administration recalls how handing the responsibility of nuclear weaponry over to machines turned out in the Terminator movies.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2026
One hums with high-speed drills and anxiety; the other echoes with joyful barks and tail wags.
—Henry I. Miller, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
That has, at least, spawned a rich stream of social media content, with wags across the world editing iconic cricket clips with the commentary coming before them.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Once returned to their moms, Lizzie and Bambie were all wags.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 23 Dec. 2025
When Cody the golden retriever was introduced to his new sibling, his owner probably would have hoped for some happy tail wags and some curious sniffs to show his curiosity.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Less bending for pets + slower eating habits = better digestion and more tail wags.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
In the clip, the startled pup wags its tail and stands with the help of rescuers after it's pulled to safety.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Yet the gas tail still wags the dog.
—David Frykman, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.
—Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 21 Jan. 2026
In a lot of ways, Phil is the tail that wags the dog.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
As Gino wags his finger at his estranged wife, Natalie begins to approach Jasmine.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Learn why the world wags and what wags it.
—Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wags
Noun
-
Suffice to say, the comedians are soon way over their head and find themselves in the middle of a war between rival gangs.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Instead, the show features Allen and a rotating panel of comedians who tell jokes and riff on more universal topics.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Her head bobs gently, then sharply tilts at specific moments, particularly when certain words cut through the stream of conversation.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Just after lunchtime on a Saturday in November, a sea of purple braids bobs in unison, barely clearing the tops of the movie-theater seats behind them.—
Eliza Berman,
Time,
9 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The Short documentary is one of many fresh flicks on streaming this week.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Suddenly, unabashed genre flicks could be celebrated on the same level as social realist dramas.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Millions tuned in to watch the battle of wits.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Cut off from the world by catastrophic flooding, with nothing but his phone and his wits, Barry is forced into a terrifying psychological battle with the unseen bombmaker who has targeted him for an unknown reason, while an FBI agent races to uncover the truth.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The structure flaps its wings when powered by electricity.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
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View gallery - 7 images A wooden dragon sculpture that gently flaps its wings has become a crowd-funding hit, but after seeing the traditional handcrafted work that's been put into every single model, making each one unique, the value of such a piece becomes strikingly clear.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Klaus talks to his sister in California on an elegant brass and Bakelite 1940s telephone (the props are divine throughout), complete with operator interruptions.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
Our correspondent talks to him.—
Greg Dixon,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Providing the voice of one of the many alien characters is Martin Scorsese, who has some amusing moments with his typically rapid-fire delivery as a nervous street food vendor whom Djarin pumps for information.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2026
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Sabrina Carpenter wore satin Dior bow slingbacks at Dior’s cruise 2027 show in Los Angeles last week, and Bella Hadid chose Jimmy Choo Love pumps with bow details at a Revolve event in March.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wags.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wags. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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