gag order

American  

[gag awr-der] / ˈgæg ˌɔr dər /

noun

Law.

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of gag order

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gag order

It is, in fact, difficult to tally all the ways in which this gag order is unlawful.

From Slate ● May 19, 2026

He blabs so much about the trial at his daily press conferences that the judge hands down a gag order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

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