gag order

noun

: 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

Third, there have be a number of hearings related to a gag order that restricts what the parties can publicly say about the case. —Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 1 May 2025

Steel is barred by a gag order from discussing Diddy’s trial. —Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025

After the release, Lively's legal team demanded a gag order be issued against Baldoni's lawyer. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2025

Trump officials initially said the gag order was needed for the administration to catch up in staffing its public relations team to oversee the vast amount of communications coming out of the nations' federal health agencies. —Alexander Tin, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gag order

• camcorder
• disorder
• recorder
• reorder
• suborder
• transborder
• boarder
• border
• corder
• warder

Legal Definition

gag order

see order sense 3b