1
as in flapped
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 talked
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
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Recent Examples of wagged
In response, Estabrook wagged his finger toward the Bombers’ bench in the fourth inning.
—
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Kadri looked up, briefly, then wagged a gloved finger in appreciation.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Andy hopped onto a nearby settee and wagged his tail.
—Margaret Moorman, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
After his score was announced Tuesday, Malinin’s coach, Rafael Arutyunyan, confidently wagged a single finger in the air.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Major League Baseball wagged a finger with one hand and palmed gate receipts and a new TV deal in the other.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
The once-weak puppy woke up with new energy—and even wagged her tail for the first time.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
His dog, Bull, wagged his tail and sniffed at the patch of browning grass under his paws.
—Molly Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Nov. 2025
Hope then asked to hold the pup, who has curly sandy-colored fur and wagged her tail as the 6-year-old held her in her arms (with a little help from her mom).
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Kadri looked up, briefly, then wagged a gloved finger in appreciation.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Andy hopped onto a nearby settee and wagged his tail.
—Margaret Moorman, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
After his score was announced Tuesday, Malinin’s coach, Rafael Arutyunyan, confidently wagged a single finger in the air.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Major League Baseball wagged a finger with one hand and palmed gate receipts and a new TV deal in the other.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
The once-weak puppy woke up with new energy—and even wagged her tail for the first time.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
His dog, Bull, wagged his tail and sniffed at the patch of browning grass under his paws.
—Molly Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Nov. 2025
Hope then asked to hold the pup, who has curly sandy-colored fur and wagged her tail as the 6-year-old held her in her arms (with a little help from her mom).
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wagged
Verb
-
The jacket hugged every contour of your torso and never flapped in the wind.—
The Editors,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
-
As is customary for the deaths of first responders, a gigantic American flag flapped from a crane outside the morgue.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Someone get that chat-naming psychic on the phone and find out if she’s talked to Deux Moi.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
-
One of the most talked-about pairs is Harry Styles and Zoë Kravitz, who reportedly got engaged in late April.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Crews then raced to recover the astronauts aboard the vehicle, which bobbed for a few hours in the Pacific Ocean near California.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Draped across a sumptuous velvet chaise longue within the art deco splendour of Eltham Palace, Susie Cave is moonlighting as a fabulous Biba-bobbed lady of the manor.—
Alice Newbold,
Vogue,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Down 2-1 in the 11th minute of stoppage time, Pinnock’s pass was flicked on by Sowunmi at the near-post and nodded down by striker Marcus Dinanga for 18-year-old George Evans to score.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Earlier, Freiburg took the lead when Maximilian Eggestein flicked Matthias Ginter’s header past the goalkeeper at a corner in the 28th minute.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One student was determined to get high-fives from a reporter, and students gossiped about gaining fame in the local paper.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Lilian liked Anna, who was on the school board, knew what was going on, and gossiped matter-of-factly with neither pettiness nor zeal.—
Yiyun Li,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Minutes into the execution, the team warden briefly flicked Hitchcock‘s face and yelled his name twice and shook his shoulders.—
Jeffrey Collins,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Bukele shook off his delusions of being the emperor of social media and abandoned his bullying tactics in the face of the biggest bully.—
Óscar Martínez,
The Dial,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pebbles twitched, branches waggled, cholla wiggled, weeds erupted then dried up and died.—
Alina Hartounian,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
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We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wagged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wagged. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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