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wagtail

noun
wag·​tail | \ ˈwag-ˌtāl How to pronounce wagtail (audio) \

Definition of wagtail

: any of various chiefly Old World oscine birds (family Motacillidae) related to the pipits and having a long tail that they habitually jerk up and down

Examples of wagtail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 A female duck grabbed the grey wagtail in her beak, dunked it several times beneath the water, then ate it, Petrovan says. — Arden Dier, Fox News, "Think ducks are cute? This might change your mind," 3 July 2017 The area is unusually abundant with animal life: the novel’s first chapter teems with wagtails, willow warblers, geese, horses, snow leopards, wolves, sheep, goats, geckos, and frogs. — Evan James, The New Yorker, "The Mysterious Frontiers of Can Xue," 8 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wagtail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of wagtail

1510, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for wagtail

wagtail

noun
How to pronounce wagtail (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of wagtail

: a small European bird that has a long tail which regularly moves up and down

See the full definition for wagtail in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on wagtail

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with wagtail

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wagtail

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