gag

verb \ ˈgag \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: gag in a Sentence

Definition of gag

gagged; gagging

transitive verb

1 a : to restrict use of the mouth of by inserting something into it to prevent speech or outcry

b : to prevent from exercising freedom of speech or expression

trying to gag the press

legally gagged from discussing the case

c : to pry or hold open with a gag

2 : to provide or write quips or pranks for

gag a show

3 : to choke or cause to retch

intransitive verb

1 a : choke; also : to suffer a throat spasm that makes swallowing or breathing difficult

b : retch

2 : to be unable to endure something : balk

The boys gagged at all the kissing and goo-goo eyes.

3 : to make quips

—

gagger

noun

See gag defined for English-language learners

See gag defined for kids

Examples of gag in a Sentence

The government is trying to gag the press.
the terrible smell of rotting fish made me gag

Recent Examples of gag from the Web

Cooper and Hill taunted the teen with knives and sliced up his sweatshirt, hair and scalp while the teen was tied up and gagged, Lanier said.

— megan crepeau, chicagotribune.com, "Last of 4 defendants pleads guilty to beating teen with disability in livestreamed Facebook attack," 12 July 2018
The 75-year-old Smith was found bound, gagged and suffocated to death on her bed.

— tim prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Jury acquits Baltimore man in 1981 cold case killing of 75-year-old woman who was sexually assaulted," 20 June 2018
Prosecutors said he was repeatedly beaten, shot with a BB gun, forced to eat cat feces and slept while gagged and bound inside a small cabinet.

— nicole darrah, Fox News, "California man gets death sentence in torture-killing of 8-year-old boy," 7 June 2018
At the end of a two-month investigation, the Sheriff’s Department and county Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that Zahau had bound, gagged and hanged herself in a suicide.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Shacknai lawyer blasts verdict in Rebecca Zahau wrongful death trial," 5 Apr. 2018
Sure enough, Trinity was caught unawares, and audiences everywhere were gagged.

— stephen daw, Billboard, "10 of the Best Reads in 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Herstory," 2 July 2018
Taheerah Ahmad, 39, attacked the girl Monday and also bound and gagged two younger daughters who managed to escape and were found unharmed, according to a police.

— Washington Post, "Aunt: Mom charged with stabbing daughter lost job, ‘snapped’," 18 May 2018
An Oklahoma mother of three who allegedly bound and gagged her daughters and stabbed the eldest repeatedly -- before setting their house on fire – has been taken into custody.

— Fox News, "Woman who allegedly stabbed daughter in burning house, snatched other child, arrested after hunt," 16 May 2018
Any petition about ending slavery was gagged [by the federal government].

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The Unheralded Pioneers of 19th-Century America Were Free African-American Families," 19 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gag.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gag

Middle English gaggen "to strangle," of imitative origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1509

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

gag Synonyms

Synonyms

banter, chaff, fool, fun, jape, jest, jive, joke, jolly, josh, kid, quip, wisecrack;

Related Words

gibe (or jibe), haze, jeer, mock, rag, rally, razz, rib, ridicule, tease;

caricature, lampoon, parody, satirize;

amuse, divert, entertain;

Phrases

crack wise;

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

gag

noun

Definition of gag

1 : something thrust into the mouth to keep it open or to prevent speech or outcry

2 : an official check or restraint on debate or free speech

a gag rule

3 : a laugh-provoking remark or act

4 : prank, trick

See gag defined for English-language learners

Examples of gag in a Sentence

The movie relies on simpleminded gags for laughs.
They hid his clothes as a gag.
They tied up the hostages and put gags in their mouths.
The government is trying to put a gag on the press.

Recent Examples of gag from the Web

The gags focus on problems faced by most Zimbabweans, especially the middle classes, such as not being able to get money from the banks.

— The Economist, "Satire is booming after Robert Mugabe’s fall," 24 May 2018
The last phrase refers to a major expansion of the gag rule by the Trump administration to cover the entire $8 billion in U.S. international health assistance, not just the $600 million earmarked for family-planning assistance.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Considering ‘Domestic Gag Rule’ to Ban Those Receiving Federal Family-Planning Funds From Mentioning Abortion Services," 11 May 2018
By the end of it — after 11 punts spanning 452 yards, 10 of which were downed inside the Tigers’ 15-yard line — the gag had turned reality.

— nick moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Tale of Texas punter gets taller, again," 3 May 2018
And using a pregnancy test that was a gag gift at an adult Easter egg hunt from Episode 7.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "Goodbye, 'Southern Charm New Orleans'," 4 June 2018
Outside an Italian restaurant, the gag-inducing stench of rancid food filled the air while volunteers ferried heavy kitchen equipment to the curb.

— christina tkacik, baltimoresun.com, "Ellicott City begins the great 'muck out' — again," 3 June 2018
Pretending to be amused during the royal family’s annual gag Christmas gift exchange is going to require all of Markle’s skill.

— michelle ruiz, Vogue, "Remembering Meghan Markle, the Thespian," 10 May 2018
The first of the play’s visual gags shows Nana enter with a walker, complete with tennis balls attached to the feet.

— john monaghan, Detroit Free Press, "Review: 'Nana's Naughty Knickers' fits Meadow Brook just right," 24 Jan. 2018
The supreme Lubitsch gags are complicated to explain but concise and crystal-clear on screen, a form of virtuoso shorthand.

— geoffrey o’brien, WSJ, "‘How Did Lubitsch Do It?’ Review: Master of the Humane Comedy," 21 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of gag

derivative of ¹gag

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

gag Synonyms

Synonyms

antic, caper, dido, escapade, frolic, jest, knavery, monkeyshine(s), practical joke, prank, roguery, trick, waggery;

Related Words

skylarking;

high jinks (also hijinks), horseplay, play, roughhousing, rowdyism;

shenanigan(s), tomfoolery;

joking, kidding, teasing;

gambit, hoax, maneuver, ploy;

caprice, conceit, fancy, vagary, whim, whimsy (also whimsey);

fraud, hanky-panky, hoodwinking, ruse, sham, stratagem, subterfuge, trickery, wile;

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany

GAG Defined for English Language Learners

gag

verb

Definition of gag for English Language Learners

: to put something (such as a piece of cloth) into or over a person's mouth in order to prevent that person from speaking, calling for help, etc.
: to prevent (someone) from speaking freely or expressing opinions
: to vomit or feel as if you are about to vomit : to feel as if what is in your stomach is going to come up into your mouth

gag

noun

Definition of gag for English Language Learners

: something said or done to make people laugh
: something done as a playful trick
: something (such as a piece of cloth) that is put into or over someone's mouth in order to prevent speech