# WAG

/ˈwæɡ/ (US) · /wˈæɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wag
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to swing side to side

verb · CEFR B1

to move something from side to side quickly, like a dog's tail or a finger.

For teachers: to move an appendage or object rhythmically from side to side; often used of a dog's tail or a finger moved in admonishment.

- The dog began to wag its tail as soon as it saw its owner pick up the leash.
- The teacher wagged her finger at the students to signal that their whispering had not gone unnoticed during the exam.

### 2. to skip school

verb · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal · Dialect

to stay away from school without permission.

For teachers: to play truant or be absent from school without authorization. This sense is primarily used in British, Australian, and New Zealand English.

- They decided to wag school and spend the sunny afternoon at the beach instead.
- In his youth, he frequently wagged school to explore the local woods, a habit that eventually led to a stern meeting with the headmaster.

### 3. a witty person

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary · Formal

someone who is funny and likes to make jokes.

For teachers: a person who is habitually jocular or witty. This usage is somewhat dated but still appears in literary or formal contexts.

- The office wag kept everyone laughing with his clever comments during the long meeting.
- Known as the local wag, he was never short of a sharp observation or a humorous anecdote to entertain the tavern regulars.

### 4. celebrity partner

noun · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal

a wife or girlfriend of a famous sports player.

For teachers: an acronym for 'Wives and Girlfriends', typically referring to the partners of high-profile professional athletes, especially footballers.

- The newspapers were full of photos of the WAGs sitting in the stands during the World Cup.
- The term WAG became a staple of British tabloid culture during the 2006 World Cup, focusing heavily on the fashion and lifestyles of the players' partners.

### 5. a rough guess

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Slang · Informal

Stands for Wild-Ass Guess. You use this for a very rough estimate when you do not have all the facts.

For teachers: Abbreviation for Wild-Ass Guess. Used in business or technical contexts to describe a rough estimate based on intuition rather than hard data.

- I don't have the exact numbers yet, but my WAG is that the project will cost fifty thousand dollars.
- Without the final laboratory results, the lead engineer could only offer a WAG regarding the structural integrity of the bridge.

## Examples

- The WAGs were seen cheering from the stands during the final.
- During the 2006 World Cup, the media focus on the WAGs often overshadowed the actual performance of the national team.
- Sociologists argue that the media's obsession with the WAG phenomenon reflects broader cultural anxieties regarding gender roles, celebrity status, and the conspicuous consumption of wealth.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.