Meaning & use
going stag
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiominformalold-fashioned
Attending a party, dance or other social event on your own, without a date or romantic partner.
Grammar: Used as go stag, goes stag or going stag, with a subject doing the going: she went stag to prom.
Patterns
- go stag to something
- go stag with friends
He decided to go stag to the prom and dance with his friends.
Going stag to the wedding was easier than finding a date.
We're going stag, so we can leave whenever we like.
phraseidiomold-fashioned
Going to an event as part of a single-sex group, as at a men's party or night out.
Grammar: Older use, from stag party: the men went stag.
Patterns
- a stag night
The friends went stag to the ball game.
Years ago, the club's dinners were stag affairs.
Word forms
| base form | go stag |
|---|---|
| third person singular | goes stag |
| past tense | went stag |
| -ing form | going stag |
Common combinations
- go stag to the prom
- Several seniors chose to go stag to the prom.
- go stag to a wedding
- I would rather go stag to the wedding than bring someone I don't like.
- decide to go stag
- She decided to go stag and meet her friends there.
- going stag tonight
- I'm going stag tonight, so there is no need to pick me up.
Synonyms and how they differ
- going solo
- Going solo is a modern phrase for doing anything alone, while going stag applies to social events and sounds older.
- flying solo
- Flying solo is broader and means acting without help, not only without a date.
- going alone
- Going alone is neutral and can suggest loneliness, whereas going stag is lighthearted.
- coming unaccompanied
- Coming unaccompanied is formal and used on invitations, unlike casual going stag.
Opposites
Word family
- stag adjective
- without a partner at a social event
- stag party noun
- a party for a man about to marry (British)
- stag night noun
- a night out for a groom and his male friends (British)
- stag noun
- an adult male deer
Commonly confused: going stag or going dutch? going stag or stagger?
going stag vs going dutch
Going Dutch means each person pays for themselves, which is unrelated to attending alone.
going stag vs stagger
Stagger means to walk unsteadily, and is not connected.
Practice
If you tell friends "I'm going stag to the party", what do you mean?
Choose one answer.
Going stag means attending a social event without a partner. The other options describe different plans.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “going stag”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.