stag

noun

1. (countable)An adult male deer, especially a red deer and especially one in high adulthood versus a young adult.

   “The city recently carried out a deer census, determining there are 313 stags (males), 798 does (females) and 214 fawns (babies) in Nara Park.”

2. (Scotland, countable)A young horse (colt or filly).
3. (British, countable, uncountable)A male turkey: a turkeycock.
4. (broadly, countable, obsolete)A romping girl; a tomboy.
5. (countable)An improperly or late castrated bull or ram – also called a bull seg (see note under ox).
6. (countable)An outside irregular dealer in stocks, who is not a member of the exchange.
7. (countable)One who applies for the allotment of shares in new projects, with a view to sell immediately at a premium, and not to hold the stock.
8. (attributive, countable, usually)An unmarried man; a bachelor; a man not accompanying a woman at a social event.

   “a stag dance; a stag party; a stag bar”

9. (countable)A social event for men held in honor of a groom on the eve of his wedding, attended by male friends of the groom; sometimes a fundraiser.

   “The stag will be held in the hotel's ballroom.”

10. (countable, slang)An informer.

    “We had two disturbers of the harmony of the ship; I mean two stags or informers, one named Robert Wilson, the other John Hewit, from the north of Ireland.”

11. (UK, slang, uncountable)Guard duty.

    “Between shifts on stag or manning the radio, we grabbed a few hours sleep.”

    “Three days were spent on standby or patrols and a fourth day on guard, with at least eight hours on stag.”

12. (countable)A stag beetle (family Lucanidae).

    “Members of the genus Pasimachus […] can be confused with stag beetles […] but stags have elbowed antennae.”

13. (countable)The Eurasian wren, Troglodytes troglodytes.

verb

1. (British, intransitive)To act as a "stag", an irregular dealer in stocks.
2. (transitive)To watch; to dog, or keep track of.

adv

1. (not-comparable)Of a man, attending a formal social function without a date.

   “My brother went stag to prom because he couldn't find a date.”