press-gang

noun

: a group of people who force others into service
especially : a detachment under command of an officer empowered to force people into military or naval service
press-gang transitive verb

Examples of press-gang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
My own relationship with Crumb began in the 1990s, when he was press-ganged into moving to these French boondocks by his second wife, the cartoonist Aline Kominsky-Crumb. David Zane Mairowitz, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025 Only Baby Boi is Sunny, newly press-ganged as a combatant. Chris Klimek, Vulture, 17 July 2024 When Captain Kidd dispatched a press-gang to find new recruits for the Wager, six members of the gang itself deserted. David Grann, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

press entry 4

First Known Use

1693, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of press-gang was in 1693

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Press-gang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/press-gang. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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