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# gag

«gag» in Mova's school dictionary: **A joke or a funny trick, especially by a comedian: a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a gag, gags); verb (gag, gags, gagged, gagging)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (noun) A joke or a funny trick, especially by a comedian: a running gag. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#m1)

2) (verb) To feel as if you are going to be sick, with your throat tightening: the smell made me gag. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#m2)

3) (noun) A piece of cloth put over or in someone's mouth to stop them talking or shouting. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#m3)

4) (verb) To stop someone from speaking freely, for example a newspaper: a gagging order. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#m4)

5) (informal) «Gagging for something» (UK slang) means wanting it very much: I'm gagging for a drink. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#m5)

6) To gag someone means to put a cloth over their mouth so they cannot speak or shout. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

In stories a gag can be a joke, or a sign of danger when a villain gags a captive. In everyday life children «gag» on food they dislike or at bad smells. In news and law, a gagging order stops people publicly talking about something. Phrases: a running gag, sight gag, gag reflex, gagging order, gagging for it (avoid this one: it can sound rude).

### examples

- The comedian's best gag was about a talking dog. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x1)
- The smell from the bin made me gag. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x2)
- The running gag in the cartoon is that the dog never gets the ball. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x3)
- The robbers had tied a gag around the guard's mouth. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x4)
- Some people gag when the dentist checks their back teeth. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x5)
- The judge gave a gagging order so the newspapers could not print the names. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x6)
- After footy training I was gagging for a cold drink. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x7)
- Dad's old gags make us groan every Christmas. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x8)
- With ironical politeness Hook raised his hat to her, and, offering her his arm, escorted her to the spot where the others were being gagged. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/#x9)

### note

Verb: double g before -ed and -ing (gagged, gagging). «Gag reflex» is the body's automatic way of stopping you choking. In the UK, «gagging for it» can have an adult meaning; it is better avoided. A «gag» (joke) is not the same as a «gaggle» (a group of geese).

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «gag» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gag/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.