stag

[ stag ]

noun

1. an adult male deer.
2. a man who attends a social gathering unaccompanied by a woman.
3. Informal. stag party.
4. a domesticated boar or bull castrated after maturation of the sexual organs.
5. British. a speculator who buys securities of a new issue in the hope of selling them quickly at a higher price.

verb (used without object)

, stagged, stag·ging.

1. Informal. (of a man) to attend a social function without a female companion.

adjective

1. of or for men only:

   a stag dinner.

2. intended for male audiences and usually pornographic in content:

   a stag show.

adverb

1. without a companion or date:

   to go stag to a dance.

stag

/ stæɡ /

noun

1. the adult male of a deer, esp a red deer
2. a man unaccompanied by a woman at a social gathering
3. stock exchange
   1. a speculator who applies for shares in a new issue in anticipation of a rise in price when trading commences in order to make a quick profit on resale
   2. ( as modifier )

      stag operations

4. modifier (of a social gathering) attended by men only
5. modifier pornographic in content

   a stag show

adverb

1. without a female escort

verb

1. stock exchange to apply for (shares in a new issue) with the intention of selling them for a quick profit when trading commences

Other Words From

• staglike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stag¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English stagge; akin to Old Norse steggi, steggr “male bird” (giving rise to northern English dialect steg “gander”), Icelandic steggur “male fox, tomcat”

Word History and Origins

Origin of stag¹

Old English stagga (unattested); related to Old Norse steggr male bird

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with stag , also see go stag .

Example Sentences

And in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, some locals last month complained of an uptick in stag and hen parties after the town was popularised by BBC crime series Happy Valley.

From BBC

I saw one guy in a pickup had stopped and was sawing off the head of a dead stag — presumably for the antlers, but maybe he was just hungry.

From Salon

The small matter of a stag do was dealt with in Leeds in March, but a honeymoon is yet to be planned.

From BBC

We found him resting beside a rock, holding a piece of coral that was as big as a stag’s antlers.

From Literature

The economy is growing at roughly 3 percent and the inflation rate is under 3 percent over the past year, he said, adding, “I don’t see the stag, or the flation.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• discover
• examine
• scrutinize
• snoop