gong

American  

[gawng, gong] / gɔŋ, gɒŋ /

noun

1. a large bronze disk, of Asian origin, having an upturned rim, that produces a vibrant, hollow tone when struck, usually with a stick or hammer that has a padded head.

2. a shallow bell sounded by a hammer operated electrically or mechanically.

   The fire-alarm system will automatically sound the gong.

3. (in a clock or watch) a rod or wire, either straight or bent into a spiral, on which the time is struck.

4. British Slang. a medal or military decoration.

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verb (used without object)

1. to sound as a gong does; ring, chime, or reverberate.

gong British  

/ ɡɒŋ /

noun

1. Also called: tam-tam.  a percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a metal platelike disc struck with a soft-headed drumstick

2. a rimmed metal disc, hollow metal hemisphere, or metal strip, tube, or wire that produces a note when struck. It may be used to give alarm signals when operated electromagnetically

3. a fixed saucer-shaped bell, as on an alarm clock, struck by a mechanically operated hammer

4. slang a medal, esp a military one

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verb

1. (intr) to sound a gong

2. (tr) (of traffic police) to summon (a driver) to stop by sounding a gong

Other Word Forms

• gonglike adjective

Etymology

Origin of gong

1800–10; < Malay, Javanese: any suspended bossed and rimmed gong; presumably imitative

Explanation

A gong is a large percussion instrument that you play by hitting it with a mallet. Gongs make a resonant, echoing sound. In the classic game show "The Gong Show," amateur performers tried to impress judges who could end the act by banging a giant gong. There are two types of gongs: one that makes a loud, crashing sound, and another that is actually tuned to a specific note. The crashing gong is sometimes also called a tam-tam. The oldest gongs were played in the early Han Dynasty in China, and gongs continue to be common in religious and secular Chinese music. Gong, named for the sound of a gong, comes from Malay.

Example Sentences

There is even a gong, which is used to celebrate business milestones, new funding rounds or anything else worth marking with a ceremonial bang.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

However, she lost her best African music gong to fellow Nigerian singer Wizkid.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

The band's Noel Gallagher was in attendance to collect the gong for songwriter of the year.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

Danger feels suspended in the soft-blue light, in which the lion’s tail and the round, silvery moon, balanced just-so, are poised like a raised mallet and gong.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

Soon she would sound the gong at the foot of the stairs.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly