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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 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

Woody is so old, both in the franchise and in reality, that there’s a running gag about his ever-expanding bald spot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

Food would not go down some days, and when it did, she would have to gag and fight it down.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

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

Many of his gags cemented his genius way of blowing raspberries at power, including CBS bosses.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

The sampling of funk and glam rock classics momentarily distracts us from the nonsensical staging choices and hopped-up gags, but only for so long.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 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

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

He also bemoaned the state of humour - strained and manufactured - when the press was gagged.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2025

She was caught up in her ex’s fake cancer scam, whooped it up too hard for her own good and gagged on camera more times than we care to count too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2024

Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

A super-injunction is a court-mandated gagging order that forbids news outlets from reporting private or sensitive information.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The guards saw what was happening on camera and started asking, "Why are you vomiting? Why do you keep gagging? What's wrong?"

From BBC ● May 17, 2025

Some mornings, she wakes up gagging or coughing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2024

There seemed to be no hour of daylight when she was not marching to and fro between the washtub and the line, alternately gagging herself with clothes pegs and breaking forth into lusty song.

From "1984" by George Orwell

Related Words

• hoax
• quip
• ruse
• trick
• wisecrack