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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of gag
Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 9 July 2025
Steinberg’s gag was inspired by the story of a less fortunate traveler.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2025
Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 8 June 2025
Earlier generations of teen movie heroes, like James Dean’s Jim Stark from Rebel Without a Cause, or Matthew McConaughey’s Wooderson from Dazed and Confused, would gag.
—Bruce Handy, Vulture, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gag
Noun
During the closing arguments, the prosecutor displayed a photo that had been taken from Flores’ home computer: a woman with a ball gag in her mouth.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 9 July 2025
Steinberg’s gag was inspired by the story of a less fortunate traveler.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2025
Verb
Signs someone has swallowed a button battery include: noisy breathing, coughing, drooling, difficulty swallowing, a hoarse voice, vomiting, chest or abdominal pain, and gagging, coughing or choking with eating or drinking.
—Meredith Wilshere, People.com, 8 June 2025
Earlier generations of teen movie heroes, like James Dean’s Jim Stark from Rebel Without a Cause, or Matthew McConaughey’s Wooderson from Dazed and Confused, would gag.
—Bruce Handy, Vulture, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gag
Noun
-
Buddusky tries to fill the room with noise, jokes, bluster.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 July 2025
-
Sketching swastikas and 'edgy' jokes: Idaho shooter not typical loner Who is Wess Roley?—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
The marijuana photos that appeared this weekend when people googled Taylor Police Department were likely a prank that, for a moment, had some in the community snickering, including the deputy chief.—
Frank Witsil,
Freep.com,
14 July 2025
-
What starts as a simple favor to keep her great-niece turns into a wild Halloween night filled with jump scares and pranks — but as usual, nothing frightens her more than bad manners and disrespect. Boo 2!—
Jane LaCroix,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Verb
-
Seek immediate medical attention if the person vomits, symptoms worsen or last longer than 1 hour.—
Joyce Orlando,
The Tennessean,
29 July 2025
-
Oftentimes, discomfort and queasiness become worse immediately before vomiting.—
Kelly Burch Published,
Verywell Health,
7 July 2025
Verb
-
The District Attorney’s Office also said that in the year before her death, Brendan Doyle choked his mother in order to force her to write him two checks totaling $1,000.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 July 2025
-
Trying to dislodge it, the rostrum punched through the gills, impaling the animal, dragging it down and slowly choking it to death.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
Watch the scene where the three men stop at a bar in D.C. Meadows laughs for the first time — a shy, honest laugh.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 July 2025
-
Nixon’s spirit drew appreciative laughs from the crowd throughout the competition.—
Calista Oetama,
Sacbee.com,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
From fashion tips and tricks to tween and teen hair and nails, our back-to-school style guide has a little bit of everything.—
Kimberly Zapata,
Parents,
29 July 2025
-
Over the years, Johnson has learned some tricks to help acquaint himself with new colleagues, from researching the background of management or coaches or looking up teammates on Madden to know a bit about their game.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gag. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share