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.
This week, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wisited the White House that ended with a press gaggle.
From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026
When the next streetcar rolls in, the upper deck fills with a gaggle of schoolgirls, squabbling over who gets the window seat closest to the sea breeze.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
But also interspersed between the credentialed professionals are a gaggle of YouTubers, streamers, and TikTokers—with mounted iPhones—documenting the saga in real time.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
And there is the wholesale trashing of the editorial staffers of the real-life Condé Nast, here a gaggle of privileged narcissists who are accidentally infected, quarantined and treated like human garbage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026
Emma and I lead our gaggle of kids outside.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
