ganked; ganking; ganks

transitive verb

US slang
: to rob or defraud (someone)
… the wee hours when, we suppose, you're most susceptible to being ganked.Barry Saunders
also : to steal or take (something)
You don't know me, but you broke into my apartment recently. … Also, you ganked my Xbox, which may as well have been my first-born child. Geoff Johnston
The instrumentals are soothing and familiar; the guitar sounds like an old Telecaster playing riffs ganked from the early 1980s. MarieClaire Bousquette

Word History

Etymology

probably a phonesthemic coinage, with syllable final as in clank entry 1, crank entry 2, prank entry 1, skank entry 1, yank entry 1

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gank was in 1987

Dictionary Entries Near gank

Cite this Entry

“Gank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gank. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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