gaggle
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
-
a flock of geese when not flying.
-
an often noisy or disorderly group or gathering.
a politician followed by a gaggle of supporters.
-
an assortment of related things.
verb
noun
-
a flock of geese
-
informal a disorderly group of people
-
a gabbling or cackling sound
Etymology
Origin of gaggle
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb gagelen ; of imitative origin
Explanation
A gaggle is a group of geese. You can also describe a bunch of people milling around in a disorganized way as a gaggle. Gaggle is a word known as a "term of venery," a collective noun used to describe a particular group of animals. When a bunch of geese waddle around on the ground, that's a gaggle of geese. If those same geese were flying overhead, you'd call them a flock or a skein instead. Gaggle is also useful for describing a disorderly or chaotic group of people: "I was surrounded by a gaggle of three-year-olds eager to pet my puppy."
Vocabulary lists containing gaggle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But unlike the tradwife with her gaggle of youngsters underfoot, the orangutan mother sustains this intense caretaking by spacing her kids seven or so years apart.
From Slate • May 10, 2026
When Natalie meets her husband, Caleb, in a church group, he offers “what every good Christian girl back home claimed to want”: a farm near her mother and a gaggle of children.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
This week, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wisited the White House that ended with a press gaggle.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
Still, despite earnest assurances from CEOs and a gaggle of founders and analysts, some software stocks continued to tumble.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
He's gotten the medicine -I don't know how, persuaded some gaggle of romantic fools to sell their jewels -and I can save Peeta!
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
