Meaning & use
a gag
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Meanings
nouncountable
A joke or a funny story, especially one told by a comedian.
Grammar: Countable: one gag, two gags. Often used with 'tell', 'crack' or 'write'.
Patterns
- tell a gag
- crack a gag
- a running gag
The comedian opened with a gag about his terrible cooking.
She told a gag that made everyone in the room laugh.
That joke is an old gag, but it still works.
nouncountable
A piece of cloth or other device put over or into someone's mouth to stop them from speaking or shouting.
Grammar: Countable. Often used in descriptions of crime or kidnapping.
Patterns
- put a gag on someone
- a gag over someone's mouth
The thieves tied him up and put a gag over his mouth.
She managed to remove the gag and call for help.
nouncountablelegal
An official order that prevents people from talking or writing about something.
Grammar: Countable. Common in legal and news contexts.
Patterns
- a gag order
- a gagging order
- impose a gag on someone
The judge issued a gag order to stop lawyers talking to the press.
The company tried to put a gag on its former employees.
nouncountablemedical
A medical device placed in the mouth to keep it open during an examination or treatment.
Grammar: Countable. Used mainly in medical contexts.
Patterns
- insert a gag
- remove the gag
The dentist used a gag to keep the patient's mouth open.
A mouth gag can help during a throat examination.
Word forms
| plural | gags |
|---|
Common combinations
- running gag
- The show has a running gag about a missing sock.
- crack a gag
- He cracked a gag about the weather.
- gag order
- The court imposed a gag order on both sides.
- gag reflex
- The doctor checked her gag reflex.
Synonyms and how they differ
- joke
- A general word for something said to make people laugh; 'gag' is more informal and often used for a professional comedian's material.
- wisecrack
- A clever or sarcastic remark; a gag is usually a planned joke or routine.
- quip
- A short, witty remark; a gag can be longer and is often part of a performance.
Word family
- gag verb
- To put a gag on someone, or to stop someone from speaking.
- gagster noun
- A person who writes or tells gags; a comedian.
Commonly confused: a gag or gaggle?
a gag vs gaggle
A gaggle is a group of geese or a noisy group of people; a gag is a joke or a mouth covering.
Practice
The judge issued a ___ order to stop the lawyers from speaking to reporters.
Choose one answer.
A 'gag order' is the fixed legal phrase for an official ban on public comment. 'Joke order' is not a legal term, and 'giggle' and 'goggle' are unrelated words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a gag”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.