Link Centre Dictionary

gag

UK/ɡaɡ/ US/ɡæɡ/ fairly common slang
noun (2) verb (7)

noun

1.

a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter

  • “he told a very funny joke”
  • “he knows a million gags”
  • “thanks for the laugh”
  • “he laughed unpleasantly at hisown jest”
  • “even a schoolboy”
Synonyms
2.

restraint put into a person''s mouth to prevent speaking or shouting

Synonyms

verb

1.

prevent from speaking out

  • “The press was gagged”
Synonyms
2.

be too tight; rub or press

  • “This neckband is choking the cat”
Synonyms
3.

tie a gag around someone''s mouth in order to silence them

  • “The burglars gagged the home owner and tied him to a chair”
Synonyms
4.

make jokes or quips

  • “The students were gagging during dinner”
Synonyms
5.

struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake

  • “he swallowed a fishbone and gagged”
Synonyms
6.

cause to retch or choke

Synonyms
7.

make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit

Synonyms

Origin

The noun is from Early Modern English gagge; the verb is from Middle English gaggen. Possibly imitative or perhaps related to or influenced by Old Norse gag-háls ("with head thrown backwards"; > Norwegian dialectal gaga (“bent backwards”)). The intransitive sense "to retch" is from 1707. The noun is from the 16th century, figurative use (for "repression of speech") from the 1620s. The secondary meaning "(practical) joke" is from 1863, of unclear origin.

Phrases

  • ball gag
  • blackout gag
  • cleave gag
  • couch gag
  • detective gag
  • gag a buzzard off a gut wagon
  • gag a dog off a gut wagon
  • gag a maggot
  • gag gift
  • gag it
  • gag me with a spoon
  • gag reel

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.