gag

¹ American  

[gag] / gæg /

verb (used with object)

gagged, gagging

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

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

   Synonyms:

   suppress, stifle, curb

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

4. to cause to retch or choke.

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

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verb (used without object)

gagged, gagging

1. to retch or choke.

noun

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

2. any forced or arbitrary suppression of freedom of speech.

3. a surgical instrument for holding the jaws open.

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

gag ² American  

[gag] / gæg /

noun

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

2. any contrived piece of wordplay or horseplay.

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verb (used without object)

gagged, gagging

1. to tell jokes or make amusing remarks.

2. to introduce gags in acting.

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

verb (used with object)

gagged, gagging

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

gag ³ American  

[gag] / gæg /

noun

• gag,
  plural
• gags
  plural

1. a serranid game fish, Mycteroperca microlepsis, found along the southeastern coast of the United States.

2. any of several related fishes.

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gag ¹ British  

/ ɡæɡ /

verb

1. (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

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

3. to retch or cause to retch

4. (intr) to struggle for breath; choke

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

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

7. slang to be very eager to have or do something

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noun

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

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

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

4. parliamentary procedure another word for closure

gag ² British  

/ ɡæɡ /

noun

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

2. a hoax, practical joke, etc

   he did it for a gag

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verb

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

2. (often foll by up) theatre

   1. to interpolate lines or business not in the actor's stage part, usually comic and improvised

   2. to perform a stage jest, either spoken or based on movement

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gag
  plural
• gags
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gag¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English gaggen “to strangle, suffocate”; perhaps imitative of the sound made in choking; compare Old Norse adjective gag-háls “with the neck thrown back”

Origin of gag²

First recorded in 1770–80; perhaps special use of gag ¹

Origin of gag³

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; origin uncertain

Explanation

A gag is a piece of cloth that's tied around a person's face to keep them from speaking or being heard. Cartoon bad guys often tie up their victims and put gags over their mouths. To use a gag for shutting someone up is to gag them. Both the noun and verb forms of gag can also be figurative: "Her government is trying to gag her by censoring her," or "The lack of a right to free speech in some countries is a gag." Another way to gag is to retch, or begin to vomit. The root of gag is probably the Old Norse gag-hals, "with head thrown back."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gag gags gagged gagging

It was so influential that it spawned a popular online gag, pointing fun at reviewers who couldn't help but repeat a cliché, external about the game making them feel like Spider-Man.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

And still, the gag order remains—for both of them, technically.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

One night, a nearby pile of burning garbage sent plumes of smoke into the air, making her gag at the smell, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

That gag that won’t translate beyond a handful of ZIP Codes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Frank chewed his cracker of death and tried not to gag.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

The gags are counterbalanced by generous helpings of schmaltz, with much talk of the power of the feminine and how sisterhood defeats all.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Worse than tired gags, we don’t get a sense of who these women really are in relationship to themselves or other women.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

More of those smart gags would have been welcome, but they peter out after half an hour or so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

HBO has asked journalists to refrain from spoiling specific jokes, revealing certain gags, or mentioning guest stars that haven’t been announced or confirmed in photos.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

I stumble from thornbush to thornbush—my mother and father who hate each other, Rachel who hates me, a school that gags on me like I’m a hairball.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

I coughed over the sink, hardly able to get a breath, until I gagged and drooled into the drain.

From Slate ● Jun. 13, 2026

In South Tangerang, some pedestrians gagged and swatted at swarms of flies as they walked down littered streets.

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026

Quickly, a question went to Mahan about his gagged chip shot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025

Wine: Of course, the media initially was not as gagged.

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2024

A blast of what I could only describe as raw sewage hit me full on, and I gagged as I realized why Elliot had smirked like that.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Spitting to the required level required multiple attempts and near gagging.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

"Oh my God... I'm gagging, they did not tell me Janet was coming," Taylor exclaimed as she joined her hero on stage.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Food binds generations through shared experience, even if the first bite ends in tears or, apparently, smelt-induced gagging.

From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025

This mammoth data breach, which led to thousands of Afghans being secretly relocated to the UK, was only revealed last month after the High Court lifted a gagging order.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

Now they had a new agony—a gagging, unbearable thirst.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• hoax
• quip
• ruse
• trick
• wisecrack