gag
1[ gag ]
/ gæg /
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verb (used with object), gagged, gag·ging.
verb (used without object), gagged, gag·ging.
to retch or choke.
noun
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Origin of gag
1First 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”
Other definitions for gag (2 of 3)
gag2
[ gag ]
/ gæg /
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
2First recorded in 1770–80; perhaps special use of gag1
Other definitions for gag (3 of 3)
gag3
[ gag ]
/ gæg /
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 United States.
any of several related fishes.
Origin of gag
3An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use gag in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for gag (1 of 2)
gag1
/ (ɡæɡ) /
verb gags, gagging or gagged
noun
Word Origin for gag
C15 gaggen; perhaps imitative of a gasping sound
British Dictionary definitions for gag (2 of 2)
gag2
/ (ɡæɡ) informal /
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
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Medical definitions for gag
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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.