English▸ noun a children's game in which one child chases the others and anyone who is touched then becomes the pursuer:
we began to play tag under the water.
▪ Baseball the action of tagging out a runner or tagging a base:
he narrowly avoided a sweeping tag by the first baseman.
▸ verb
(tags, tagging, tagged)
[with object] touch (someone being chased) in a game of tag. ▪ Baseball (tag out) put out (a runner) by touching them with the ball or with the glove holding the ball:
catching their fastest runner in a rundown and tagging him out.
▪ Baseball (of a base runner, or a fielder with the ball) touch (a base) with the foot:
the short center fielder could field the ball and tag second base for a force out.
▪ [no object] (usually tag up) Baseball (of a base runner) touch the base one has occupied after a fly ball is caught, before running to the next base:
when the ball was hit, he went back to the bag to tag up.
– ORIGIN mid 18th century : perhaps a variant of tig.