gag1

[gag] /gæg/
verb (used with object), gagged, gagging.
1.
to stop up the mouth of (a person) by putting something in it, thus preventing speech, shouts, etc.
2.
to restrain by force or authority from freedom of speech; silence.
3.
to fasten open the jaws of, as in surgical operations.
4.
to cause to retch or choke.
5.
Metalworking. to straighten or bend (a bar, rail, etc.) with a gag.
verb (used without object), gagged, gagging.
6.
to retch or choke.
noun
7.
something put into a person's mouth to prevent speech, shouting, etc.
8.
any forced or arbitrary suppression of freedom of speech.
9.
a surgical instrument for holding the jaws open.
10.
Metalworking. a shaped block of steel used with a press to straighten or bend a bar, rail, etc.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English gaggen to suffocate; perhaps imitative of the sound made in choking
Synonyms
2. curb, stifle, suppress.

gag2

[gag] /gæg/
noun
1.
a joke, especially one introduced into a script or an actor's part.
2.
any contrived piece of wordplay or horseplay.
verb (used without object), gagged, gagging.
3.
to tell jokes or make amusing remarks.
4.
to introduce gags in acting.
5.
to play on another's credulity, as by telling false stories.
verb (used with object), gagged, gagging.
6.
to introduce usually comic interpolations into (a script, an actor's part, or the like) (usually followed by up).
Origin
1770-80; perhaps special use of gag1; compare Old Norse gagg yelp

gag3

[gag] /gæg/
noun, plural (especially collectively) gag (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) gags.
1.
a serranid game fish, Mycteroperca microlepsis, found along the southeastern coast of the U.S.
2.
any of several related fishes.
Origin
1880-85, Americanism; origin uncertain
British Dictionary definitions for gag

gag1

/ɡæɡ/
verb gags, gagging, gagged
1.
(transitive) to stop up (a person's mouth), esp with a piece of cloth, etc, to prevent him or her from speaking or crying out
2.
(transitive) to suppress or censor (free expression, information, etc)
3.
to retch or cause to retch
4.
(intransitive) to struggle for breath; choke
5.
(transitive) to hold (the jaws) of (a person or animal) apart with a surgical gag
6.
(transitive) to apply a gag-bit to (a horse)
7.
(slang) be gagging for, be gagging to, to be very eager to have or do something
noun
8.
a piece of cloth, rope, etc, stuffed into or tied across the mouth
9.
any restraint on or suppression of information, free speech, etc
10.
a surgical device for keeping the jaws apart, as during a tonsillectomy
11.
(parliamentary procedure) another word for closure (sense 4)
Word Origin
C15 gaggen; perhaps imitative of a gasping sound

gag2

/ɡæɡ/
noun
1.
a joke or humorous story, esp one told by a professional comedian
2.
a hoax, practical joke, etc: he did it for a gag
verb gags, gagging, gagged
3.
(intransitive) to tell jokes or funny stories, as comedians in nightclubs, etc
4.
(often foll by up) (theatre)
  1. to interpolate lines or business not in the actor's stage part, usually comic and improvised
  2. to perform a stage jest, either spoken or based on movement
Word Origin
C19: perhaps special use of gag1
Word Origin and History for gag
v.

mid-15c., "to choke, strangle," possibly imitative or influenced by Old Norse gaghals "with head thrown back." The sense of "stop a person's mouth" is first attested c.1500. Related: Gagged; gagging.

n.

"joke," 1863, probably related to theatrical sense of "matter interpolated in a written piece by the actor" (1847); or from the sense "made-up story" (1805); or from slang verbal sense of "to deceive, take in with talk" (1777), all perhaps on notion of "stuff, fill" (see gag (v.)).

"act of gagging," 1550s, from gag (v.); figurative use from 1620s.

gag in Medicine

gag (gāg)
v. gagged, gag·ging, gags

  1. To choke, retch, or undergo a regurgitative spasm.

  2. To prevent from talking.

n.
An instrument adjusted between the teeth to keep the mouth from closing during operations in the mouth or throat.
Slang definitions & phrases for gag

gag

noun
  1. A joke; wisecrack; trick: I'll tell you gags, I'll sing you songs (1823+)
  2. To deceive; hoax; scam, take in: boorish man •Very often in the phrase big galoot: large enough for the galoots to fit through and take over/ ''I really love that galoot,'' said Harry

[1864+; fr early 1800s British, ''soldier,'' of unknown origin; perhaps fr the Sierra Leone Creole language Krio galut fr Spanish galeoto, ''galley slave'']


gag in Technology


Equivalent to choke, but connotes more disgust. "Hey, this is Fortran code. No wonder the C compiler gagged." See also barf.
[Jargon File]

Related Abbreviations for gag

GAG

Graphic Artists Guild