gag order

noun

Definition of gag order

: a judicial ruling barring public disclosure or discussion (as by the press) of information related to a case broadly : a similar nonjudicial prohibition against the release of confidential information or against public discussion of a sensitive matter

Examples of gag order in a Sentence

The judge has issued a gag order.

Recent Examples on the Web Mayorkas denied placing a gag order on officials, and the administration released the first images from inside migrant holding facilities on Tuesday. — Carly Roman, Washington Examiner, "Trump-era assistant DHS secretary calls for investigation into Biden's 'cover-up' of border situation," 23 Mar. 2021 Curiously, a court in Haifa issued a gag order, prohibiting the publication of incident details. — Ariel Cohen, Forbes, "Mystery Israeli Oil Spill Leads To Multimillion Dollar Clean-Up," 26 Feb. 2021 In an unusual move, an Israeli judge has issued a gag order on the investigations and any detail relating to it, including the suspects’ name or identities, the vessels involved, and destination and port of departure. — Yonat Friling, Fox News, "Israel beaches covered in tar after oil spill," 23 Feb. 2021 The Israeli government issued a gag order on Monday on the details of the investigation out of concern information could be used to cloud the probe. — Felicia Schwartz, WSJ, "Israel Grapples With Massive Oil Spill, Forcing Beaches Shut," 23 Feb. 2021 Karren has issued a gag order prohibiting prosecutors and Torres' attorneys from commenting on the case. — Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, "Bella Vista man to receive third murder trial in 6-year-old boy's death," 11 Feb. 2021 The group asked for President-elect Joe Biden to remove the gag order implemented by the Trump administration that prevents some employees at federal agencies from making statements or providing any documents to the public or to journalists. — Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner, "Journalism organization asks Biden administration to loosen press access to federal officials," 19 Jan. 2021 The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the case, citing a gag order by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson. — Sarah Ravani, SFChronicle.com, "Derick Almena, defendant in deadly Ghost Ship fire, pleads guilty, avoiding a second trial," 22 Jan. 2021 Lemarr is under a gag order in her court case and couldn't discuss the seizure of her animals. — John Reinan, Star Tribune, "Social media battles complicate seizure of Minnesota horses," 19 Jan. 2021

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

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Last Updated

3 Apr 2021

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“Gag order.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gag%20order. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for gag order

gag order

noun

English Language Learners Definition of gag order

chiefly US, law : an order by a judge or court saying that the people involved in a legal case cannot talk about the case or anything related to it in public

See the full definition for gag order in the English Language Learners Dictionary

gag order