gavel

1 of 3

noun (1)

gav·​el ˈga-vəl 

: rent or tribute in medieval England

gavel

2 of 3

noun (2)

: a mallet used (as by a presiding officer or auctioneer) for commanding attention or confirming an action (such as a vote or sale)

gavel

3 of 3

verb

gaveled or gavelled; gaveling or gavelling ˈga-v(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to bring or force by use of a gavel

gaveled the audience to silence

Examples of gavel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Even without access to their own future picks, the Bucks are in such a bad spot that the only logical move is to bang the gavel on a Giannis bidding war and rebuild with the spoils. —John Hollinger, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

The trend could complicate the Democrats’ path to winning back control of the House in the 2026 midterms, when party leaders are optimistic about their chances of seizing the Speaker’s gavel after four years in the minority wilderness. —Mike Lillis, The Hill, 23 Mar. 2025

Verb

After her speech, the audience erupted in a roaring applause, and the board president began slamming her gavel down to try and temper the growing applause, but the cheers only got louder after that. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025

In 2021, Georgia’s Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan stripped Beach of his transportation committee chairmanship, but Beach reclaimed that gavel in early 2023. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English gafol; akin to Old English giefan to give

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1835, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1925, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gavel

• gavel-to-gavel

Rhymes for gavel

• caval
• cavil
• gravel
• travel
• unravel

Kids Definition

gavel

noun

gav·​el

ˈgav-əl

: the mallet of an officer in charge of a meeting or of an auctioneer