gag

[ gag ]

/ gæg /

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See synonyms for: gag / gagged / gagging on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), gagged, gag·ging.

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

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

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

to cause to retch or choke.

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

verb (used without object), gagged, gag·ging.

to retch or choke.

noun

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

any forced or arbitrary suppression of freedom of speech.

a surgical instrument for holding the jaws open.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR gag

2 curb, stifle; suppress.

See synonyms for gag on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of gag

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”

Other definitions for gag (2 of 3)

gag²

[ gag ]

/ gæg /

Informal.

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

First 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

An 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

Well, let’s just say that sometimes God will get your friends in on the gag because I’m sure my friends are laughing now.
Distance learning was a disaster. So I decided to teach my daughter myself.|Tracey Lewis-Giggetts|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Or maybe Alibaba is doing what other companies are doing in China: gagging itself and its customers to appease the apparatchiks.
Alibaba’s Dark Side: Censoring Customers|Brendon Hong|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why is the U.S. government initiating this new round of forced gagging?
Gitmo Prisoner Force-Feeding Violates Medical Ethics|Nuriel Moghavem, Marty Makary|July 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The cruel practice of forced nasograstic-tube gagging of tied-down persons who have never had a trial is not an American value.
Gitmo Prisoner Force-Feeding Violates Medical Ethics|Nuriel Moghavem, Marty Makary|July 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The gagging can be extreme, even when patients are relaxed and cooperating by swallowing repeatedly during the procedure.
Gitmo Prisoner Force-Feeding Violates Medical Ethics|Nuriel Moghavem, Marty Makary|July 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Valle allegedly admitted he would “really get off knocking her out, tying up her hands and bare feet, and gagging her.”
Seven Most Shocking Revelations about Gilberto Valle, NYPD’s Cannibal Cop|Caroline Linton|October 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And now his gagging screech resolved itself into articulate speech.
The Escape of Mr. Trimm|Irvin S. Cobb
One of the soldiers, with the aid of his scarf, succeeded in gagging the duke, who was thus prevented from speaking.
A Romance of the West Indies|Eugne Sue
The master said that I was, and after the gagging and drugging it is very probable.
My Experiences in a Lunatic Asylum|Herman Charles Merivale
Ross stooped to drag him from the plate and began binding and gagging him with lengths torn from his kilt.
The Time Traders|Andre Norton
With equal swiftness he dropped it on the sidewalk, growling and gagging at the warm feathers which almost choked him.
A Scout of To-day|Isabel Hornibrook

British Dictionary definitions for gag (1 of 2)

gag¹

/ (ɡæɡ) /

verb gags, gagging or gagged

(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

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

to retch or cause to retch

(intr) to struggle for breath; choke

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

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

be gagging for or be gagging to slang to be very eager to have or do something

noun

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

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

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

parliamentary procedure another word for closure (def. 4)

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

gag

OTHER WORDS FOR gag

Origin of gag

Other definitions for gag (2 of 3)

Origin of gag

Other definitions for gag (3 of 3)

Origin of gag

Words related to gag

How to use gag in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gag (1 of 2)

Word Origin for gag

British Dictionary definitions for gag (2 of 2)

Word Origin for gag