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

That would have left Welch, who became speaker in 2021, far short of the 60 votes needed to retain the gavel when the new General Assembly is sworn in this coming January. — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2026

From Shreveport to Washington Johnson first won the speaker’s gavel in 2023 after his colleagues ousted the previous GOP speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California, in a first-of-its-kind coup in House history. — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Verb

The remarks quickly drew boos and protests from some audience members, which prompted Mayor Matt Mahan to gavel the meeting back to order. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026

The making of the Congressional Record These days, the process of creating the Record begins in the Capitol, where every floor speech and action in each chamber is logged from gavel to gavel. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 22 May 2026

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