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

Falstaff’s girth is worked into the comic mayhem, but the character should be more than a sight gag.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

That doesn't mean that comedy should suffer, with Seale saying that every time a scene could deliver a "killer gag", instead it was just "gently amusing".

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

The gag happens again, leading a blue fish to famously quip, “How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?”

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

Bush was on the wrong end of a gag about having surrendered his “manhood” as Ronald Reagan’s vice president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

And Petey, not wanting to appear weak and abused in front of Anna, smiled as if he was in on the gag.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

There hasn’t been a film with so many legitimate blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gags in some time.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 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

Allen’s shows are designed to be evergreens with few topical gags so they can be repeated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026

"They were everywhere," Goodwin said of the online gags.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026

I suppose it all started when Lorraine and I and these two amoebae called Dennis Kobin and Norton Kelly were hot on those phone gags last September.

From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel

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

The group, among others, argue that the ban breaches the right to free speech and has gagged legitimate protest.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2025

If Maria could do it, so could I. At first sip, I gagged ever so slightly, visions of Looney Tunes farm animals dancing through my head.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2024

The idea gagged him but he couldn’t let it alone.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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

When the leak was discovered some 18 months later, in August 2023, the then-Conservative government sought a gagging order to prevent details of the error being made public.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

Some mornings, she wakes up gagging or coughing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2024

Hannah could feel the fear threatening to scream out of her, so she dropped the shoes and put both hands over her mouth, effectively gagging herself.

From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen

Related Words

• hoax
• quip
• ruse
• trick
• wisecrack