gan

[ gan ]

/ gæn /

Save This Word!

verb

simple past tense of gin³.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby gan

-gamous, Gamow, gamp, gamut, gamy, gan, ganache, Gäncä, Gance, Gand, Ganda

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gan in a sentence

Framework opted for a USB-C GaN charger, which is significantly smaller than the usual bulky power brick that comes with most laptops.
Framework Laptop review: Buy now, upgrade and repair later|Chris Coke|December 16, 2021|Popular-Science
Hannah and the others with GAN would have at least a chance where there had been no chance at all.
The Shutdown’s Human Cost: A Family’s Hopes at NIH Put on Hold|Michael Daly|October 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As with other GAN kids, numbness is accompanied by an unusual sensitivity.
The Shutdown’s Human Cost: A Family’s Hopes at NIH Put on Hold|Michael Daly|October 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Eight weeks in the life of a child with GAN is huge,” Lori says.
The Shutdown’s Human Cost: A Family’s Hopes at NIH Put on Hold|Michael Daly|October 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The young James had a lot of irreverent fun with the idea of the Great American Novel—the GAN, as he called it.
Is Henry James’s ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ the Great American Novel?|Michael Gorra|August 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Both of these read—'Anon her herte began to yerne'; whereas it of course ought to be—'Anon her herte gan to erme.'
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
It is a derivative word, from Algonkin, and gan the penultimate syllable of the Odjibwa term Sa-g--gan, a lake.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft
And yf ou haue well y-wroth a-fore ou schalt haue e hier nombre e same ou haddest or ou be-gan to worch.
The Earliest Arithmetics in English|Anonymous
Yow folks come here asking all manner of questions, and then you gan and write bowks about us.
The Rivers of Great Britain: Rivers of the East Coast|Various
Then did the king turn pale, and his nobles 'gan whisper that this was a fearful omen.
A Legend of Reading Abbey|Charles MacFarlane

British Dictionary definitions for gan (1 of 2)

gan¹

/ (ɡæn) /

verb

archaic, or poetic the past tense of gin 3

British Dictionary definitions for gan (2 of 2)

gan²

/ (ɡæn) /

verb gans, ganning or ganned

(intr) Northeast English dialect to go

Word Origin for gan

from Old English gangan; related to Old Norse ganga. See gang 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