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

Cabaret-meister de Pury, ebullient as ever, raised the magic gavel in celebration. —Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

But the combination of outside factors — including the fact Trump won’t be on the ticket to help Republicans in the midterms — still puts Democrats in striking distance of the Speaker’s gavel. —Mike Lillis, The Hill, 25 Aug. 2025

Verb

Texas Republicans, however, were already expected to gavel out their first session on Friday because special sessions only last 30 days maximum. —Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 15 Aug. 2025

The regular legislative session will gavel in Tuesday and stretch through early June as lawmakers approve a state budget and new laws for the next two years. —Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 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