1
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the movie featured a gag involving a chicken driving a car that audiences thought was hysterically funny
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2
as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
played a gag on their teammate by putting shaving cream in his hat
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
3
as in to joke
to make jokes
the actor typically mugs and gags through his movies, but in his latest vehicle he plays it straight
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of gag
Selome Hailu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Advertisement Morrell isn’t the only one to notice the bait-and-switch gag.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 9 Mar. 2026
Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025
Tressa Lynn Pettibone, 33, had been beaten, tied up, gagged and fatally stabbed twice in the neck and once in the side.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gag
Noun
The crowd was raucous with laughter throughout all of the film’s witty dialogue and visual gags, and cheered as the characters realized their goals on screen.
—Selome Hailu, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026
Advertisement Morrell isn’t the only one to notice the bait-and-switch gag.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 9 Mar. 2026
Verb
There, the family exchanges gag gifts on Christmas Eve before making a public walk to church on Christmas morning.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025
Tressa Lynn Pettibone, 33, had been beaten, tied up, gagged and fatally stabbed twice in the neck and once in the side.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gag
Noun
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Its massive size even became the subject of a joke in the film High Society, in which the actress chose to wear her real-life ring instead of a prop one.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
12 Mar. 2026
-
My sister got these jokes and these hands.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Creator and host Eric André took the late-night talk show, a TV genre with all-too-familiar conventions, and twisted it beyond recognition with harrowing celebrity interviews, person-on-the-street stunts, jump-scare pranks, and gratuitous nudity.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
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Simple, creative pranks can surprise and delight your kids at home.—
Amanda Rock,
Parents,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His mother told reporters that Liam had a fever, was vomiting, and refused to eat.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2026
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The dogs have scented from a wall someone touched, the dirt a person stumbled in and vomit on a car door.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Like other invasive plants, stinknet chokes native plants and increases fire risk.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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With fuel and freight prices skyrocketing as war chokes the Strait of Hormuz, the Panama Canal is seeing more business than usual.—
Elizabeth González,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And yes, because we are blessed with famous weather, whole neighborhoods and districts can risk spilling out into the sidewalks, where laughs get louder, music gets blasted and the street fashion becomes a runway.—
Elisa Wouk Almino
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Roger, in chains, talks to his captor like an old peer as the two laugh about battles of old, and Roger asks Garp for a favor before dying.—
Rafael Motamayor,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This under-$40 Amazon pick totally does the trick, and even comes with a little matching pouch.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
13 Mar. 2026
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The previous reader confirmed that the engine can be remote started with this trick using the key-fob.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
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The women’s team declined their joking invitation and had to explain comments directed at them.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gag. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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