gag

[gag]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gag ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), gagged, gag·ging.

to stop up the mouth of (a person) by putting something in it, thus preventing speech, shouts, etc.

to restrain by force or authority from freedom of speech; silence.

to fasten open the jaws of, as in surgical operations.

to cause to retch or choke.

Metalworking. to straighten or bend (a bar, rail, etc.) with a gag.

verb (used without object), gagged, gag·ging.

to retch or choke.

noun

something put into a person's mouth to prevent speech, shouting, etc.

any forced or arbitrary suppression of freedom of speech.

a surgical instrument for holding the jaws open.

Metalworking. a shaped block of steel used with a press to straighten or bend a bar, rail, etc.

Origin of gag

1400–50; late Middle English gaggen to suffocate; perhaps imitative of the sound made in choking

Synonyms for gag

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gag ON THESAURUS.COM

2. curb, stifle, suppress.

gag

[gag]Informal.

noun

a joke, especially one introduced into a script or an actor's part.

any contrived piece of wordplay or horseplay.

verb (used without object), gagged, gag·ging.

to tell jokes or make amusing remarks.

to introduce gags in acting.

to play on another's credulity, as by telling false stories.

verb (used with object), gagged, gag·ging.

to introduce usually comic interpolations into (a script, an actor's part, or the like) (usually followed by up).

Origin of gag

1770–80; perhaps special use of gag¹; compare Old Norse gagg yelp

gag

[gag]

noun, plural (especially collectively) gag, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) gags.

a serranid game fish, Mycteroperca microlepsis, found along the southeastern coast of the U.S.

any of several related fishes.

Origin of gag

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gag

trick, hoax, wisecrack, quip, ruse, muzzle, constrain, choke, suppress, witticism, wile, drollery, jest, crack, obstruct, shy, stifle, throttle, muffle, balk

Examples from the Web for gag

Contemporary Examples of gag

But when a serial sex predator is playing fanboy, the gag reflex kicks in.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking
M.L. Nestel
January 8, 2015
They obtained a gag order against the defendant and his lawyers restricting what they could say about the case for several months.
Sentencing Looms for Barrett Brown, Advocate for “Anonymous”
Kevin M. Gallagher
December 15, 2014
And bonus points for the school bus that burst into flames with the comic timing of a Simpsons gag.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Self Help’: A Grim Show Displays Its Comedy Streak, and A Major Reveal
Melissa Leon
November 10, 2014
In the convention, Washington scrupulously followed the gag rule, so his thoughts on the proceedings are somewhat unknown.
Washington’s Wheeler-Dealer Patriotism
William O’Connor
October 31, 2014
“We blew up an entire planet, just for a Doofenshmirtz gag,” laughs Povenmire.
‘Phineas and Ferb’ Pilot Disney’s Premier Voyage into ‘Star Wars’
Jason Lynch
July 25, 2014

Historical Examples of gag

There's no excuse for your talking such stuff as that, and you're not going to do it, if I have to gag you!
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
"I don't know," the Viceroy said shortly, working the gag out of his mouth.
Slaves of Mercury
Nat Schachner
We bind and gag the Duke, and we convey him with all speed and quiet out of Bridgwater.
Mistress Wilding
Rafael Sabatini
The poison story had been a gag to make him think he had outwitted Domber.
A Yankee Flier Over Berlin
Al Avery
The glittering fisherlady could not bind and gag the bait and drop her into his mouth.
The Paliser case
Edgar Saltus

British Dictionary definitions for gag

gag

verb gags, gagging or gagged

(tr) to stop up (a person's mouth), esp with a piece of cloth, etc, to prevent him or her from speaking or crying out

(tr) to suppress or censor (free expression, information, etc)

to retch or cause to retch

(intr) to struggle for breath; choke

(tr) to hold (the jaws) of (a person or animal) apart with a surgical gag

(tr) to apply a gag-bit to (a horse)

be gagging for or be gagging to slang to be very eager to have or do something

noun

a piece of cloth, rope, etc, stuffed into or tied across the mouth

any restraint on or suppression of information, free speech, etc

a surgical device for keeping the jaws apart, as during a tonsillectomy

parliamentary procedure another word for closure (def. 4)

Word Origin for gag

C15 gaggen; perhaps imitative of a gasping sound

gag

noun

a joke or humorous story, esp one told by a professional comedian

a hoax, practical joke, etche did it for a gag

verb gags, gagging or gagged

(intr) to tell jokes or funny stories, as comedians in nightclubs, etc

(often foll by up) theatre

to interpolate lines or business not in the actor's stage part, usually comic and improvised
to perform a stage jest, either spoken or based on movement

Word Origin for gag

C19: perhaps special use of gag 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gag

mid-15c., "to choke, strangle," possibly imitative or influenced by Old Norse gaghals "with head thrown back." The sense of "stop a person's mouth" is first attested c.1500. Related: Gagged; gagging.

n.1

"joke," 1863, probably related to theatrical sense of "matter interpolated in a written piece by the actor" (1847); or from the sense "made-up story" (1805); or from slang verbal sense of "to deceive, take in with talk" (1777), all perhaps on notion of "stuff, fill" (see gag (v.)).

n.2

"act of gagging," 1550s, from gag (v.); figurative use from 1620s.

gag in Medicine

gag

[găg]

v.

To choke, retch, or undergo a regurgitative spasm.

To prevent from talking.

n.

An instrument adjusted between the teeth to keep the mouth from closing during operations in the mouth or throat.