How to Use wag in a Sentence

wag

1 of 2 verb
  • The dog wagged its tail.
  • He wagged his head back and forth.
  • She wagged her finger at the children as she scolded them.
  • The dog's tail began to wag excitedly.
  • Yet the gas tail still wags the dog.
    — David Frykman, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026
  • But the miles are well worth it to see dogs wag their tails.
    — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Her body wiggled and her tail wagged.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Tongues are wagging both here and across the pond.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
  • In a lot of ways, Phil is the tail that wags the dog.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Can such a tiny tail wag such a gigantic dog?
    — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Dogs who once shook with fear are beginning to wag their tails.
    — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Start your new year with love, cuddles and wagging tails!
    — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
  • Playful ones wag their tails quickly, shake their butts or jump up.
    — Andrea Ball, USA TODAY, 21 Oct. 2022
  • Destiny cannot be controlled, no more than the tail can wag the dog.
    — Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022
  • Aside from a few wagging tails and panting tongues, the crowd was hushed and still.
    — Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Apr. 2023
  • As soon as the dog was pulled back over, he is seen trotting away, wagging his tail.
    — Li Cohen, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024
  • The dog began to bark and wag its tail, according to the suit.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Jake is wagging his tail and headed toward the door.
    — Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Andy hopped onto a nearby settee and wagged his tail.
    — Margaret Moorman, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Call it a tail-wagging twist on a classic casting call.
    — Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
  • In short, the market wanted to know — which tail is wagging the dog?
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 23 Nov. 2025
  • Question is, will that be enough to keep their investors’ tails wagging?
    — Charles Capel, Bloomberg.com, 25 May 2023
  • Her body became stiff, alert, and her ever-wagging tail dropped low.
    — Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
  • Perhaps this wag-the-dog war is meant to scare a weak Nicolás Maduro.
    — Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 22 Nov. 2025
  • Perhaps this wag-the-dog war is meant to scare a weak Nicolás Maduro.
    — Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 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
  • The dog had a spinal cord injury, leaving him unable to use his back legs — or wag his tail.
    — Cathy Free, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Aug. 2023
  • Blackberry is always ready to greet you with a wagging tail and a big smile.
    — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 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
  • Her epic Valentine’s Day rant had tongues wagging for weeks.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 9 May 2026

wag

2 of 2 noun
  • Learn why the world wags and what wags it.
    — Literary Hub, 13 June 2025
  • This is not about taking the wag out of the puppy’s tail.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 11 Sep. 2025
  • There will be a canine menu and free wag bags while supplies last.
    — Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Hang it by the fireplace, and watch as tails wag in festive delight.
    — Cristian Esteban, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Once returned to their moms, Lizzie and Bambie were all wags.
    — Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 23 Dec. 2025
  • One hums with high-speed drills and anxiety; the other echoes with joyful barks and tail wags.
    — Henry I. Miller, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
  • If brevity is the soul of wit, as some wag once said, maybe no words is the wittiest option of all.
    — Jody Rosen, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2022
  • Today writes that a tail wag serves a function similar to a human smile.
    — Jacob Livesay, USA TODAY, 29 July 2022
  • But not every interaction at dog parks ends with happy tail wags.
    — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
  • The real dog sniffed Jennie and gave an approving tail wag.
    — Rena Goldman, EverydayHealth.com, 7 Jan. 2026
  • The placement of the tail, the type of the wag and the overall body posture need to be considered.
    — Dawn Kovell, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
  • At the end of a stressful day, Sara Sidner seeks the friendly wag of a dog's tail.
    — David Bauder, Star Tribune, 10 Apr. 2021
  • Give the gift of a Himalayan Dog Chew today and watch your dog's tail wag with joy.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 30 June 2023
  • Her morning wave to her Barbie friends becomes more of a wag; her feet, to her horror, fall flat.
    — Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 28 July 2023
  • With the wag of a tail or the soothing sounds of a purr, a rescue pet comes into our lives and steals our hearts forever.
    — Amanda Klarsfeld, sun-sentinel.com, 6 Aug. 2020
  • One wag pointed out that Montgomery usually yells numbers and not names.
    — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Dec. 2022
  • Still, rescuers said the dogs greeted them with hopeful tail wags despite their conditions.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 18 Nov. 2025
  • The fourth, a black and brown rottweiler who was tethered to the fence in the front yard greeted the visitors with a tail wag.
    — Taylor Pettaway, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Nov. 2022
  • Talking it through with one another helps, but so does a tail wag and a nuzzle from a co-worker who has seen it all and rolls with it.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2023
  • Less bending for pets + slower eating habits = better digestion and more tail wags.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Not only does this bug displace a ton of water with a less-than-forceful strip, the rubber tail waves and wags slightly even at rest.
    — Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 22 June 2023
  • This adorable costume looks poised to rule over The Masked Singer stage with a flick of her paw and a wag of her stumpy tail.
    — Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
  • The crooked pols and wags unleash the arsonists to churn dollars to development.
    — Lawrence Jackson, Harper's Magazine, 10 July 2023
  • And—as expected—the solid rear axle does its usual dance on corrugations as well as its obligatory wag on big one-wheel bumps.
    — Barry Winfield, Car and Driver, 1 Aug. 2023
  • The judges, who are surf pros and aficionados, will look at the length of their ride, wave technique and enthusiasm, measured most likely in tail wags and barks.
    — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Sep. 2023
  • The latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue has some wag to it.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Whether your pup loves peanut butter, real chicken, or pumpkin, there's a flavor option that will surely make their tail wag with excitement.
    — Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 28 Aug. 2023
  • Some Broadway wags might have scoffed at the idea of a cornpone musical comedy and its punny promotions.
    — Frank Rizzo, Variety, 5 Apr. 2023
  • In a video on TikTok, Erin shared when the two dogs were reunited in a moment filled with excited tail wags.
    — Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Always the first to greet you with a tail wag and big smile, Bella Beanbag sure knows how to charm her way into the center of attention.
    — The Arizona Republic, 20 Nov. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wag.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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