Synonyms

gag order

American

[gag awr-der] / ˈgæg ˌɔr dər /

noun

Law.

a court order banning reporters, attorneys, and other parties involved in a case being tried in a court of law from reporting on or publicly disclosing anything relating to the case.

Etymology

Origin of gag order

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

O’Connor then imposed a sweeping gag order that sought to prevent RIH—or any other interested party—from continuing to litigate before McElroy or the court that oversees her, the 1st U.S.

From Slate • May 19, 2026

He was released to house arrest after 183 days and has been under a media gag order since.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 19, 2025

Under the current gag order, the documents are exempt from Freedom of Information Act requests.

From Salon • Sep. 30, 2025

Was that due to the law enforcement gag order?

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025

An interesting example of this sort of question happened in 1993, when a Canadian court issued a gag order on Canadian reporters covering a particularly controversial murder case.

From Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet by Electronic Frontier Foundation

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023