a line, course, or progression characterized by sharp turns first to one side and then to the other.
one of a series of such turns, as in a line or path.
adjective
proceeding or formed in a zigzag: zigzag stitches.
adverb
with frequent sharp turns from side to side; in a zigzag manner: The child ran zigzag along the beach.
verb (used with object),zig·zagged,zig·zag·ging.
to make (something) zigzag, as in form or course; move or maneuver (something) in a zigzag direction: They zigzagged their course to confuse the enemy.
verb (used without object),zig·zagged,zig·zag·ging.
to proceed in a zigzag line or course.
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Origin of zigzag
1705–15; <French; replacing earlier ziczac<French <German zickzack, gradational compound based on Zacketack1
The eccentric, improvisational zigzags in his early career, along with the array of challenging hobbies, suggest that Irvine is constantly searching for the proper match for his considerable abilities.
An Unexpected Twist Lights Up the Secrets of Turbulence|David H. Freedman|September 3, 2020|Quanta Magazine
The first was christened by the great etiquette guru Emily Post as “zigzag” eating.
The Strange Way We Eat: Bee Wilson’s ‘Consider the Fork’|Bee Wilson|October 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Suddenly sharp flashes of lightning darted in zigzag rays through the gloom.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
Here he deflected toward the mountains, taking the zigzag path that ran like a winding thread among the rocks as it mounted.
Mavericks|William MacLeod Raine
All down the zigzag hill into the town the machinery said nothing at all.
Through East Anglia in a Motor Car|J. E. (James Edmund) Vincent
By-spines (one hundred and fifty to two hundred) very thin, barbed and zigzag, as long as the radius.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)|Ernst Haeckel
At the base of the trunk a calabash is put, and the latex trickles down into this by way of the zigzag cuts.
Rubber|Edith A. Browne
British Dictionary definitions for zigzag
zigzag
/ (ˈzɪɡˌzæɡ) /
noun
a line or course characterized by sharp turns in alternating directions
one of the series of such turns
something having the form of a zigzag
adjective
(usually prenominal)formed in or proceeding in a zigzag
(of sewing machine stitches) produced in a zigzag by a swing needle used for joining stretch fabrics, neatening raw edges, etc
adverb
in a zigzag manner
verb-zags, -zaggingor-zagged
to proceed or cause to proceed in a zigzag
(tr)to form into a zigzag
Derived forms of zigzag
zigzaggedness, nounzigzagger, noun
Word Origin for zigzag
C18: from French, from German zickzack, from Zacke point, jagged projection; see tack1