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

At that time, Democrats controlled the gavel in the House, but the chamber has since flipped to Republican control. —Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 24 July 2025

Her dad keeps her close on game day The Yankees slugger has been seen wearing a dazzling custom pendant in the shape of a gavel, a nod to his All Rise Foundation and his commanding presence at the plate. —Nasha Smith, People.com, 8 July 2025

Verb

The New York Post covered the killer’s trial gavel to gavel, while glossy magazines wrote about how not to let this happen to you. —Mary Jane Gibson, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2025

Pastel by pastel, courtroom sketch artists capture historic moments involving high-profile defendants, attentive judges and impassioned witnesses from gavel to gavel. —Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 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