gong

American  

[gawng, gong] / gɔŋ, gɒŋ /

noun

1. a large bronze disk, of Asian origin, having an upturned rim, that produces a vibrant, hollow tone when struck, usually with a stick or hammer that has a padded head.

2. a shallow bell sounded by a hammer operated electrically or mechanically.

   The fire-alarm system will automatically sound the gong.

3. (in a clock or watch) a rod or wire, either straight or bent into a spiral, on which the time is struck.

4. British Slang. a medal or military decoration.

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verb (used without object)

gongs, present (3rd person singular) gonged, past participle, past gonging present participle

1. to sound as a gong does; ring, chime, or reverberate.

gong British  

/ ɡɒŋ /

noun

1. Also called: tam-tam.  a percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a metal platelike disc struck with a soft-headed drumstick

2. a rimmed metal disc, hollow metal hemisphere, or metal strip, tube, or wire that produces a note when struck. It may be used to give alarm signals when operated electromagnetically

3. a fixed saucer-shaped bell, as on an alarm clock, struck by a mechanically operated hammer

4. slang a medal, esp a military one

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verb

1. (intr) to sound a gong

2. (tr) (of traffic police) to summon (a driver) to stop by sounding a gong

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gonglike
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have gonged
  perfect
• has gonged
  perfect 3rd person singular
• am gonging
  progressive 1st person singular
• are gonging
  progressive
• is gonging
  progressive 3rd person singular
• gongs
  singular 3rd person
• has been gonging
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• gonging
  participle
• have been gonging
  perfect progressive

Past

• had gonged
  perfect
• were gonging
  progressive plural
• was gonging
  progressive singular
• gonged
  participle
• had been gonging
  perfect progressive
• gonged
  simple

Future

• will gong
  simple
• will have gonged
  perfect
• will have been gonging
  perfect progressive
• will be gonging
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of gong

1800–10; < Malay, Javanese: any suspended bossed and rimmed gong; presumably imitative

Explanation

A gong is a large percussion instrument that you play by hitting it with a mallet. Gongs make a resonant, echoing sound. In the classic game show "The Gong Show," amateur performers tried to impress judges who could end the act by banging a giant gong. There are two types of gongs: one that makes a loud, crashing sound, and another that is actually tuned to a specific note. The crashing gong is sometimes also called a tam-tam. The oldest gongs were played in the early Han Dynasty in China, and gongs continue to be common in religious and secular Chinese music. Gong, named for the sound of a gong, comes from Malay.

Example Sentences

"These barriers are not just passive features of the landscape," Gong explained.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

The California-based computer networking giant rejects the accusations that it "aided and abetted" human rights abuses against members of the Falun Gong, which has been banned in China since 1999.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

The claims were first reported in a newspaper associated with the Falun Gong religious movement, which is also banned in China and has ties with Shen Yun.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

Time with children her age was one of the biggest losses for 24-year-old Gong Yimei, whose father pulled her out of school at age eight to focus on art.

From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025

When Gong demanded a feed dog—a crucial part of a sewing machine that controls stitch size by regulating the speed of fabric moving to the needle—from a seamstress who worked with Shin, she curtly refused.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden