noun
zag
zag
noun
1
A sharp turn in the opposite direction, especially as the second half of "zigzag."
"The trail was a series of zigs and zags down the mountainside."
"Every zag in the plot caught readers off guard."
verb
1
To make a sharp turn or sudden change of direction.
"The rabbit zagged left just as the fox lunged."
"You need to zig when everyone else zags."
How to Use Zag
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA sudden turn — usually paired with "zig" to describe a path or plan that keeps changing direction.
Common pairings
zig and zag
zag left
a zag in the road
Word Forms
zagged past tense, zags plural, zags singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “zag”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The trail was a series of zigs and _____ down the mountainside.
Etymology
A back-formation from "zigzag" — people split the word in two and started using "zag" on its own.