gavel

1 of 3

noun (1)

gav·​el ˈga-vəl 

: rent or tribute in medieval England

gavel

2 of 3

noun (2)

: a mallet used (as by a presiding officer or auctioneer) for commanding attention or confirming an action (such as a vote or sale)

gavel

3 of 3

verb

gaveled or gavelled; gaveling or gavelling ˈga-v(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to bring or force by use of a gavel

gaveled the audience to silence

Examples of gavel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Through a mix of orders, shaming, and a whole lot of banging of the gavel, the octogenarian managed to avoid a nightmare scenario of one of his colleagues pummeling a witness. —Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026

The final gavel will come down for the highest bidders on March 27. —Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2026

Verb

Legislators' goal is to get the bill approved and sent to Beshear by the end of the month, so any vetoes from the governor can be overridden when lawmakers gavel back in briefly in mid-April. —Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Mar. 2026

Speaker Johnson to display, but not use, George Washington's gavel during address Sarah D. Wire House Speaker Mike Johnson will display George Washington’s gavel during the State of the Union address, according to the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. —Zac Anderson, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English gafol; akin to Old English giefan to give

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1835, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1925, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gavel

• gavel-to-gavel

Rhymes for gavel

• caval
• cavil
• gravel
• travel
• unravel

Kids Definition

gavel

noun

gav·​el

ˈgav-əl

: the mallet of an officer in charge of a meeting or of an auctioneer