Also, gang up with . Act together as a group. For example, The residents ganged up to make the neighborhood safer . [ Colloquial ; c. 1920]
. Join in opposition or attack against, as in The big kids were always ganging up on the little ones , or They all ganged up against the substitute teacher . [1920s]
1935–40; noun use of verb phrase gang up ( on )
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The good news is there is a way to disable the gang-up tactic.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2024
The maid of honor is scared of broaching this subject, but if we all do it together, does that feel like a gang-up?
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2021
Translation by one of his aides: "No gang-up on the Americans."
From Time Magazine Archive
Club suddenly gave the New York World-Telegram the club's-eye view of the gang-up.
From Time Magazine Archive
Under present law, such a labor gang-up would seem to be patently illegal.
From Time Magazine Archive
In the 2011 comedy “Horrible Bosses,” three friends gang up against their bosses—all different versions of horrible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
"Canada and Mexico want to show unity, without appearing to gang up on the US."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2025
“It’s an enormous advantage in every way. You have someone you can turn to when things go pear-shaped and, in crass terms, you can gang up on people. I missed him a lot.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2022
Indy’s offense has struggled to stretch the field, which has allowed defensive coordinators to gang up against a ground game that has struggled after thriving last season.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2020
“Mr. Crane wants you to come in at ten in the morning. Ten sharp, now, mind you, because he’ll be there and those guys won’t gang up on you again.”
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
