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Glite Dictionary
↩️ A quick turn ↩️ To turn quickly
zag

zag

6 8.4
A sharp turn that goes the opposite way from the previous one
  • noun
  • /zæɡ/
translation icon : zigzag
  • Migraine with aura can temporarily affect the sight, with flashing lights and zig-zag disturbances preceding the onset of the headache.
  • zig-zag

Examples

  • For example, "Jump, roll, then travel taking weight on hands" may lead to a zig-zag, straight, or circular pathway.

    Academic text (1991)

  • I have noticed when they fly in a zig-zag pattern, they sort of go...

    Dolittle (2020)

  • Cut the edge in a zig-zag shape and fold it upward to create the crown.

    Blog text (28)

  • My journey is more of a zig-zag than a straight-line destination.

    Blog text (19)

  • The new bathmat is white with black zig-zags, made by Martian Navahos.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Ahead of her, the trail zigs and zags up the mountain like a carpenter's rule unfolding.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The roof zigs and zags, spins and twists.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • No political process is completely linear; there will be zigs and zags, retrenchments and retreats, as well as advances.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The hike took us through a series of sharp zags in the mountain path, making it challenging to navigate.

  • As the car approached the curve, it made a sudden zag to avoid the pothole on the road.

Synonyms

zig
vszag
5 8.5

A sharp turn in one direction, like part of a zigzag

is the opposite sharp turn in the alternating sequence

Idioms

to zig when he should zag
  • Informal
9.9

To make the wrong choice when a different action is needed

to zig when someone should zag
  • Informal
9.9

To do the wrong thing when a different action is needed

Compounds

zig-zag fold
6.7

A series of paper folds that go back and forth like the letter Z

How Sharp

hairpin bend
  • UK
1 3.7
zag
6 8.4
corner
∞ 1.0
to bend
268 1.0
turn
485 1.0

Surface Forms

zag singular
zags plural

Etymology

Zag comes from the pair zigzag, a word that copies a quick back-and-forth move and comes from the German 'zickzack'. Think of zig one way and zag the other, so a zag is a 'sharp turn' that follows a 'zig'.