tag

¹

[ tag ]

noun

1. a piece or strip of strong paper, plastic, metal, leather, etc., for attaching by one end to something as a mark or label:

   The price is on the tag.

2. any small hanging or loosely attached part or piece; tatter.
3. a loop of material sewn on a garment so that it can be hung up.
4. a metal or plastic tip at the end of a shoelace, cord, or the like.
5. a license plate for a motor vehicle.
6. Angling. a small piece of tinsel or the like tied to the shank of a hook at the body of an artificial fly.
7. the tail end or concluding part, as of a proceeding.
8. the last words of a speech, scene, act, etc., as in a play; a curtain line.
9. Digital Technology.
   1. Also called sentinel. a symbol, mark, or other labeling device indicating the beginning or end of a unit of information.
   2. Also called markup tag. such a label or string of characters within angle brackets, used to specify format, structure, or style in an electronic document or web page.
   3. Also called semantic tag. such a label taking the form of a keyword or short phrase, used to classify or organize digital data, aid online searches, etc.
10. an addition to a speech or writing, as the moral of a fable.
11. a quotation added for special effect.
12. a descriptive word or phrase applied to a person, group, organization, etc., as a label or means of identification; epithet.
13. a trite phrase or saying; cliché.
14. Slang. a person's name, nickname, initials, monogram, or symbol.
15. tag question ( def 1 ).
16. a traffic ticket.
17. a curlicue in writing.
18. a lock of hair.
19. a matted lock of wool on a sheep.
20. Fox Hunting. the white tip of the tail of a fox.
21. Obsolete. the rabble.

verb (used with object)

, tagged, tag·ging.

1. to furnish with a tag or tags; attach a tag to.
2. to append as a tag, addition, or afterthought to something else.
3. to attach or give an epithet to; label.
4. to accuse of a violation, especially of a traffic law; give a traffic ticket to:

   He was tagged for speeding. The police officer tagged the cars for overtime parking.

5. to hold answerable or accountable for something; attach blame to:

   The pitcher was tagged with the loss of the game.

6. to set a price on; fix the cost of:

   The dealer tagged the boat at $500 less than the suggested retail price.

7. to write graffiti on.
8. Informal. to follow closely:

   I tagged him to an old house on the outskirts of town.

9. to remove the tags of wool from (a sheep).

verb (used without object)

, tagged, tag·ging.

1. to follow closely; go along or about as a follower:

   to tag after someone; to tag along behind someone.

2. to write graffiti.

tag

²

[ tag ]

noun

1. a children's game in which one player chases the others in an effort to touch one of them, who then takes the role of pursuer.
2. Baseball. an act or instance of tagging a base runner.

verb (used with object)

, tagged, tag·ging.

1. to touch in or as if in the game of tag.
2. Baseball.
   1. to touch (a base runner) with the ball held in the hand or glove.
   2. to hit (a pitched ball) solidly.
   3. to make a number of hits or runs as specified in batting against (a pitcher):

      They tagged him for two hits in the first and three hits and two runs in the third.

3. Boxing. to strike (an opponent) with a powerful blow.

verb phrase

1. Baseball. (of a base runner) to touch the base occupied before attempting to advance a base, after the catch of a fly ball:

   He tagged up and scored from third on a long fly to center.

tag

¹

/ tæɡ /

noun

1. Also calledtig a children's game in which one player chases the others in an attempt to catch one of them who will then become the chaser
2. the act of tagging one's partner in tag wrestling
3. modifier denoting or relating to a wrestling contest between two teams of two wrestlers, in which only one from each team may be in the ring at one time. The contestant outside the ring may change places with his team-mate inside the ring after touching his hand

verb

1. to catch (another child) in the game of tag
2. (in tag wrestling) to touch the hand of (one's partner)

tag

²

/ tæɡ /

noun

1. a piece or strip of paper, plastic, leather, etc, for attaching to something by one end as a mark or label

   a price tag

2. Also calledelectronic tag an electronic device worn, usually on the wrist or ankle, by an offender serving a noncustodial sentence, which monitors the offender's whereabouts by means of a link to a central computer through the telephone system
3. a small piece of material hanging from or loosely attached to a part or piece
4. a point of metal or other hard substance at the end of a cord, lace, etc, to prevent it from fraying and to facilitate threading
5. an epithet or verbal appendage, the refrain of a song, the moral of a fable, etc
6. a brief quotation, esp one in a foreign language

   his speech was interlarded with Horatian tags

7. grammar
   1. Also calledtag question a clause added on to another clause to invite the hearer's agreement or conversational cooperation. Tags are usually in the form of a question with a pronoun as subject, the antecedent of which is the subject of the main clause; as isn't it in the bread is on the table, isn't it?
   2. a linguistic item added on to a sentence but not forming part of it, as John in are you there, John?
8. an ornamental flourish as at the end of a signature
9. the contrastingly coloured tip to an animal's tail
10. a matted lock of wool or hair
11. angling a strand of tinsel, wire, etc, tied to the body of an artificial fly
12. slang.
    a graffito consisting of a nickname or personal symbol

verb

1. to mark with a tag
2. to monitor the whereabouts of (an offender) by means of an electronic tag
3. to add or append as a tag
4. to supply (prose or blank verse) with rhymes
5. intr; usually foll by on or along to trail (behind)

   many small boys tagged on behind the procession

6. to name or call (someone something)

   they tagged him Lanky

7. to cut the tags of wool or hair from (an animal)
8. slang.
   to paint one's tag on (a building, wall, etc)

tag

/ tăg /

1. A sequence of characters in a markup language used to provide information, such as formatting specifications, about a document. Tags are enclosed in a pair of angle brackets that indicate to the browser how the text is to be displayed.

Other Words From

• tagger noun
• taglike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tag¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English tagge (noun); cognate with Middle Low German, Norwegian tagge, Swedish tagg “pointed protruding part”; akin to tack ¹

Origin of tag²

First recorded in 1730–40; perhaps special use of tag ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tag¹

C18: perhaps from tag ¹

Origin of tag²

C15: of uncertain origin; related to Swedish tagg point, perhaps also to tack ¹

Example Sentences

Jurado swirled around a Rooibos tea bag with a tag read, “Your Actions Prove Your Greatness.”

From Los Angeles Times

The county auditor’s office has put one-time costs for the measure at about $8 million, but the ultimate price tag is expected to be significantly larger.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s not a question of a price tag,” Trump said.

From Los Angeles Times

A recent urban jungle collection, which popped up over a series of days across London, saw its elephant defaced with stripes, wolf appear to be stolen within hours, cat taken down, and a tag spray painted over the rhino.

From BBC

How did the price tag reach £100m and why do major infrastructure projects become so complicated?

From BBC

Related Words

• badge
• button
• card
• chip
• identification
• insignia
• logo
• marker
• pin
• stamp
• sticker