How to Use zag in a Sentence

zag

1 of 2 noun
  • Turn up the heat with spicy cashews and a zig-zag of Sriracha mayo.
    Sarah Gish, kansascity, 2 July 2018
  • The weight of the lines vary, which gives off a sort of zig-zag pattern.
    Jordan Culver, OrlandoSentinel.com, 19 Mar. 2018
  • This garter stitch scarf can be knit in any size, and the zig-zag detail on the edges is fun.
    Mary Mooney | The Oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, 11 May 2017
  • Two-edge sword: Allen gets open with sharp zig-zags and changes of speed.
    Tom Krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, 11 Aug. 2017
  • But in this episode, zigging where a zag is called for serves the story well.
    Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2021
  • Yet the line has too many zigs and zags and ups and downs to clinch a causal connection.
    Andrew Ferguson, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2020
  • Martin ran a zig-zag path to evade the bullets and escaped.
    Andrew Selsky, The Seattle Times, 25 Mar. 2019
  • Strands form very tight, small curls of zig-zags right from the scalp and are prone to major shrinkage.
    Joane Amay, Allure, 19 Jan. 2018
  • After pulling the elastic through the hem, take the two elastic ends, overlap them and zig-zag stitch over it.
    USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2017
  • Poulin wears a zig-zag scar, ear to ear across the top of his head, but never thought of giving up either.
    Dom Amore, courant.com, 1 June 2018
  • One enters the garden through a steel tunnel that leads to a concrete zig-zag path.
    Deanna Kizis, Sunset Magazine, 3 Aug. 2022
  • Instead, take black face paint and brush on zig-zag lines going from the top of your neck to your collar bone region.
    Blake Bakkila, Good Housekeeping, 6 Sep. 2018
  • Drizzle Ginger soy sauce over top in a zig zag pattern.
    Claire Perez, Sun-Sentinel.com, 20 Apr. 2018
  • As the fixations grow along with the zig-zags of regressions, the screen fills with purple.
    Lisa Wood Shapiro, WIRED, 18 June 2018
  • The Zags made eight second-half baskets with a championship on the line.
    Mark Bradley, ajc, 4 Apr. 2017
  • The Tigers were timed in sprints that ran roughly the length of the court, and ran drills in which they were timed to shuffle across the baseline, backpedal toward the free-throw line and zig-zag across the paint.
    Alex Schiffer, kansascity, 12 Oct. 2017
  • Carey was briefly trampled in the rush before getting to his feet and racing in a zig-zag pattern toward the fences.
    Andrew Jensen, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Nov. 2019
  • Pursuing the trendlines of progress was a consensus goal for Obama and his diplomats, but the new regime is the zag to to their zig.
    Christian Lorentzen, New Republic, 18 Jan. 2018
  • Baker, in socks with no shoes, begins running in a zig-zag pattern across the blacktop.
    Don Norcross, San Diego U-T Preps, 15 Dec. 2017
  • Even those leaders who have grown accustomed to the zigs and zags of the Trump White House say this could be different.
    James Hohmann, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2018
  • Coily or kinky hair (i.e. hair that forms tight curls in a zig-zag pattern from the scalp) is a Type 4, ranging from A to C in subcategories.
    Marielle Marlys, Good Housekeeping, 25 May 2022
  • However, this time, there was nothing but zig-zag lines.
    cleveland.com, 14 Sep. 2017
  • Like many young companies, Munchkin Fun has taken a few zigs and zags.
    Jane Wooldridge, miamiherald, 25 Mar. 2018
  • And gets to wear cool underwear every day with things like lighting bolts and zig-zags that has his name on it.
    Megan Gustashaw, GQ, 22 Sep. 2017
  • The 24-year-old took to Instagram to show off the slick new look, which features an orange dye and a sharp fade complete with a zig-zag pattern.
    SI.com, 28 Sep. 2017
  • This past year, the zigs and zags of the rift accelerated rapidly.
    Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, 12 July 2017
  • Stairs to the upper levels and roof zig-zag through the air like elements of an M.C. Escher drawing.
    Molly Glentzer, Houston Chronicle, 14 May 2018
  • Over the last year, he’s riffed on this shape in a bright-yellow spiral table lamp, a zig-zag lamp, and a floor lamp that looks like a giant stalk growing out of a pot.
    Diana Budds, Curbed, 4 June 2021
  • Next up, a tuxedo shirt with an intricate sequin bib, a pattern of blue, black, tan, and white stripes and zig-zags.
    Arianna Rebolini, Esquire, 24 July 2017
  • All are fished pretty much the same, with a steady twitching of the rod, with the tip held close to the water, making the frog zig-zag across the top of the mat, with occasional pauses in open holes.
    Frank Sargeant, AL.com, 9 Aug. 2017
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zag

2 of 2 verb
  • The causes of the zig and zag in sales aren’t hard to figure out.
    Justin Lahart, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2021
  • That’s been the ethos of these Rams all along, to zig when others zag.
    Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2022
  • This is not to say that Gruden’s path is wrong — there’s room to zag when the rest of the league zigs.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2019
  • Thinking outside the box, knowing when to zig, and when to zag.
    Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2019
  • The race track consisted of zig-zag lines four to six nanometers wide on a gold surface.
    Dhananjay Khadilkar, Ars Technica, 20 Apr. 2022
  • Instead, zig toward the most promising tangle or thicket in front of you, then zag to the next.
    Dave Hurteau, Field & Stream, 24 Dec. 2020
  • The economy zigs then zags The GDP data is a mixed bag and provides some clues to the answer.
    Christopher Decker, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2023
  • However, the show is supposed to unfold across five seasons, so there's plenty of time left for a zig to zag.
    Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 14 Jan. 2022
  • That’s not ideal, exactly; the best knuckleballs often zig and zag away from the mitt.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 1 July 2017
  • But every time producers zigged, the pandemic would once again force them to zag.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2021
  • The gates on a slalom course are the closest together, requiring skiers to zig and zag quickly, making turns with rapid speed.
    Time, 15 Feb. 2018
  • Athletic director Gene Smith has been adamant that Holtmann was always his guy, even the timing of things was weird and the process seemed to zig and zag a bit.
    Bill Landis, cleveland.com, 8 Jan. 2018
  • The economy zigged when it was supposed to zag, and even the professionals are searching for answers.
    Martha C. White, CNN, 22 July 2022
  • The conjecture is every bit as dizzying as the watch's zig-zag guilloché patterned dial.
    Stephen Watson, Town & Country, 22 June 2021
  • But in 2021, Belichick zigged when everyone expected him to zag.
    BostonGlobe.com, 30 Apr. 2021
  • Sometimes saving money and steering clear of lines is all about zigging when other people zag.
    Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, 9 Apr. 2019
  • This summer, Sony continues to zig where other studios zag.
    Vulture, 15 July 2022
  • Six years ago, Groban made his Broadway debut in a head-turning production that suggested an artist who could zig when the world expected him to zag.
    Peter Marks, Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2022
  • Where previous presidents zigged, the 45th almost always wants to zag.
    Philip Rucker and Seung Min Kim, chicagotribune.com, 1 July 2018
  • The bold marble zig-zag flooring, black, white and grey with flashes of jade, is set against smart navy velvet seating, silk cushions and sleek surfaces, giving a gleaming appeal.
    Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 7 Sep. 2021
  • After years of multiple outfit changes and heels, what would editors and influencers wear to zig-zag around a city by foot, bicycle, or train?
    Emily Farra, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2021
  • Thorne-Storne adds Ontario will continue to zig and zag in response to changing industry conditions.
    Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022
  • But Netflix has never been shy zigging while others zag, and the partnership with Amazon is yet another example of that.
    Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2022
  • And as any successful entrepreneur knows, when everyone zigs, you zag.
    Nihar Chhaya, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2021
  • Ellie Richard’s brooms have handles that zig and zag into myriad nonfunctional forms.
    Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2019
  • The formal frustrations lie elsewhere, in the withholding approach that at times feels like a self-conscious attempt to subvert conventional dramatic form, and to zig where any other movie might zag.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 9 Nov. 2022
  • Trump revels in the upsetting of expectations, zigging when everyone else expected him to zag.
    Chris Cillizza, CNN, 14 Sep. 2017
  • But Carter, who generally zags when the rest of the world zigs, took a characteristically unconventional approach.
    Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, 3 May 2017
  • Oddsmakers have Docic as the favorite, but the odds of this downtrodden franchise zigging when everyone expects them to zag continues their trend of questionable personnel decisions.
    Peter Dawson, star-telegram, 20 June 2018
  • Flavors zig and zag, taking unexpected detours — horse blanket? — but arrive at a joyful, rewarding destination.
    Peter Rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, 29 Mar. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zag.' 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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