gag

verb

\ˈgag

gagged; gagging

Definition of gag

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

1a : 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

gag

noun

Definition of gag (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from gag Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about gag

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Examples of gag in a Sentence

Verb

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

Noun

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 on the Web: Verb

The images beaming out of the U.S.-Mexico border — migrants storming barricades, children gagging on tear gas — have intensified the debate regarding the Trump administration’s bare-knuckled approach to immigration. — Kyle Swenson, The Seattle Times, "Ammon Bundy breaks with Trump on anti-migrant rhetoric: ‘It’s all fear-based’," 28 Nov. 2018 Jonathan Hatami told jurors that the defendant, 37, had enjoyed tormenting the boy, forcing Gabriel to eat his own vomit and sleep in a cabinet with a sock gagging his mouth. — Marisa Gerber, latimes.com, "'Horrendous, inhumane and nothing short of evil': Judge sentences mother to life in prison and her boyfriend to death in Gabriel Fernandez murder case," 7 June 2018 Video posted in January 2017 shows the four defendants — all African-American — cutting the white victim’s scalp with a knife, punching and kicking him and laughing as he was bound and gagged in an apartment on Chicago’s West Side. — Megan Crepeau, chicagotribune.com, "Ringleader given 8 years in prison for beating mentally disabled teen in attack livestreamed on Facebook," 5 July 2018 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Living or dead, the gag implies, our pastimes are meaningless either way. — Noah Berlatsky, The Verge, "Why zombies are so hilarious," 5 Dec. 2018 While many viewers may have changed the channel after the opening monologue, jabs at average Americans were far from over and the Jesus gag became a running theme throughout the evening. — Brian Flood, Fox News, "Emmy Awards roasted for mocking Middle America, ratings hit all-time low," 18 Sep. 2018 The presence of the ball gag in Moore's joke is a double whammy. — Jenny Hollander, Marie Claire, "Demi Moore's Harvey Weinstein Joke at Bruce Willis' Roast Was All Kinds of Awful," 30 July 2018 Trudeau, accustomed to being praised for his Prince Charming good looks, is getting a lot of flak on his tour of India, and the latest gags focus on his razzle-dazzle wardrobe, upstaging even India's flamboyant movie stars. — Vidhi Doshi, Washington Post, "India to Justin Trudeau: Stop trying so hard," 23 Feb. 2018 Many of the gags win less because of humor and more because of attention to detail. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Wreck-It Ralph 2 review: Everything we wish Ready Player One had been," 21 Nov. 2018 Or if the government imposed a gag rule, saying that doctors should follow a specific script in telling people about diabetes and insulin. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "The New President of Planned Parenthood Knows the Organization Saves Lives. Her Mother Depended on It.," 13 Sep. 2018 The nation's gag reflexes were tested this week after a woman was caught on camera dipping a chicken tender into cola, then of course eating it. — Fox News, "Gutfeld: It's the cry babies vs. the jerk," 8 Sep. 2018 In this summer of nightmare, with the bad news by no means all out, the gag reflex of many Catholics is entirely understandable. — George Weigel, WSJ, "A Crisis—but Not of Faith," 30 Aug. 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.