zigzag
Syllables: zig·zag/ˈzɪɡ.zæɡ/
zigzag noun: a line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
Noun
zigzag (plural zigzags)
- A line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
- She had just succeeded in curving it down into a graceful zigzag, and was going to dive in among the leaves, which she found to be nothing but the tops of the trees under which she had been wandering, when a sharp hiss made her draw back in a hurry: […].1865 November (indicated as 1866), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “Advice from a Caterpillar”, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 70
- And still, high in front, arose the precipitous barrier of the mountain, greened over where it seemed that scarce a harebell could find root, barred with the zigzags of a human road where it seemed that not a goat could scramble.1891 February–December, Robert Louis Stevenson, In the South Seas […], New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1896, →OCLC
- One of these sharp turns.
Adjective
zigzag (not comparable)
- Moving in, or having a zigzag.
- The entrance to this ancient place of devotion was under a very low round arch, ornamented by several courses of that zig-zag moulding, resembling shark's teeth, which appears so often in the more ancient Saxon churches.1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter II, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 20
- His thoughts were fixed on one subject, and it was an effort to him to follow the zigzag remarks of his children—an effort which he did not make.1854 September – 1855 January, [Elizabeth Gaskell], chapter 6, in North and South. […], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1855, →OCLC, pages 78–79
- Drunk.
Verb
zigzag (third-person singular simple present zigzags, present participle zigzagging, simple past and past participle zigzagged)
- To move or to twist in a zigzag manner.
- […] she saw them as we see the throngs which cover the canvases of Sallaert, Van Alsloot, and others of that school—vast masses of beings, jostling, zigzagging, and processioning in definite directions, but whose features are indistinguishable by the very comprehensiveness of the view.1878 January–December, Thomas Hardy, The Return of the Native […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], published 1878, →OCLC
- At the base this vent was dark, cool, and smelled of dry, musty dust. It zigzagged so that he could not see ahead more than a few yards at a time.1912 January, Zane Grey, “Surprise Valley”, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC, page 98
Adverb
zigzag (comparative more zigzag, superlative most zigzag)
Proper noun capitalized: Zigzag
Zigzag
zigzag meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
zigzag in Hindi
- line or path
- टेढ़ा-मेढ़ा ṭeḍhā-meḍhā
zigzag in Tamil
- கோணல்மாணலான, வளைவு நெளிவான, குறுக்கு நெடுக்கான, கோணல்மாணல், கோணல் அலை, அலைவரி
zigzag in Urdu
- کج مج, لہریا, موڑ دار, پیچ دار, تیڑھا میڑھا
zigzag in Bengali
- zigzag
- আঁকাবাঁকা ãkabãka
More languagesFewer languages
- zigzag in Malayalam
- വളഞ്ഞുപുളഞ്ഞ, കുടിലഗതിയായ
- zigzag in Kannada
- ವಕ್ರಾಕಾರ, ಅಡ್ಡಾದಿಡ್ಡಿ, ಅಂಕುಡೊಂಕು, ನೇರವಲ್ಲದಂತೆ ಮಾಡು
- zigzag in Malay
- jalur berliku
- zigzag in Persian
- زیگزاگ zigzâg
Examples of zigzag in a sentence
- Right and left ranked the toothed and zigzag line of storm-torn heights, forming the series which culminated in the one beneath their feet.1872 September – 1873 July, Thomas Hardy, A Pair of Blue Eyes. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Tinsley Brothers...
- It was serrated, and between two spears of rock, directly in line with his position, showed a zigzag crack that at night would let through the gleam of sky.1912 January, Zane Grey, “Surprise Valley”, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC...
- If the first two novels created a new genre — Peakean fantasy — then this third volume zigzags between several: the Bildungsroman, science fiction, social satire, morality tale and dystopian prophecy.2002, Malcolm Yorke, Mervyn Peake: My Eyes Mint Gold: A Life, page 298:
Synonyms of zigzag
Forms of zigzag
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | zigzags |
| alternative form | zig-zag |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | zigzags |
| present participle | zigzagging |
| past participle | zigzagged |
| past | zigzagged |
| Adverb | |
| comparative | more zigzag |
| superlative | most zigzag |
Origin of zigzag
Attested from 1712. Borrowed from French zigzag (attested from 1662), possibly from a Germanic source via Walloon ziczac (although German Zickzack is attested only from 1703). Also, possibly from the shape of the letter Z, which appears twice in the word. Sense “drunk” from the zigzag movements of a drunk person.
Named after the nearby Zigzag River.
Words formed from zigzag
Phrases with zigzag
Words that rhyme with zigzag
Questions about zigzag
- What does zigzag mean?
- Zigzag means a line or path that proceeds by sharp turns in alternating directions.
- What is zigzag in Hindi?
- Zigzag in Hindi is टेढ़ा-मेढ़ा (ṭeḍhā-meḍhā). See Zigzag meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use zigzag in a sentence?
- Right and left ranked the toothed and zigzag line of storm-torn heights, forming the series which culminated in the one beneath their feet.
- What part of speech is zigzag?
- Zigzag can be a noun, an adjective, a verb or an adverb.
- How do you pronounce zigzag?
- Zigzag is pronounced /ˈzɪɡ.zæɡ/.
- What is the plural of zigzag?
- The plural of zigzag is zigzags.
Words near zigzag in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: zigzag (page history and authors); Zigzag (page history and authors); zigzag (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); zigzag (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); আঁকাবাঁকা (Bengali) (page history and authors); zigzag (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); zigzag (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-zigzag.ogg.
Cite this entry: “zigzag.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/zigzag. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.