A zigzag is a line or path that turns sharply back and forth at angles, like a lightning bolt drawn on paper. Instead of going straight, a zigzag pattern makes sharp turns to the left, then the right, then left again, creating a series of connected angles that looks like the letter Z repeated over and over.

You see zigzags everywhere: in the stitching on a baseball, in the pattern on Charlie Brown's shirt, in the way a mountain road zigzags up a steep slope. When hiking up a tall hill, you might zigzag back and forth across the trail instead of climbing straight up, making the climb easier by taking a longer but less steep path.

The word works as a noun (describing the pattern itself), a verb (to move in that pattern), and an adjective (zigzag stitching on a quilt). Lightning zigzags across the sky. A nervous rabbit might zigzag through a field to confuse a chasing fox.

The sharp angles make zigzag patterns instantly recognizable and give them a feeling of energy and movement. Unlike gentle curves or straight lines, zigzags feel dynamic and unpredictable, changing direction with sudden decisiveness.