gag

Meanings

Plural: gags

Noun

• a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
  • "he knows a million gags"
• restraint put into a person's mouth to prevent speaking or shouting
• A device to restrain speech, such as a rag in the mouth secured with tape or a rubber ball threaded onto a cord or strap.
• An order or rule forbidding discussion of a case or subject.
• Any suppression of freedom of speech.
• A joke or other mischievous prank.
• a device or trick used to create a practical effect; a gimmick
• A convulsion of the upper digestive tract.
• A mouthful that makes one retch or choke.
• Unscripted lines introduced by an actor into his part.
• Mycteroperca microlepis, a species of grouper.

Verb

• prevent from speaking out
  • "The press was gagged"
• be too tight; rub or press
• tie a gag around someone's mouth in order to silence them
  • "The burglars gagged the home owner and tied him to a chair"
• make jokes or quips
  • "The students were gagging during dinner"
• struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake
  • "he swallowed a fishbone and gagged"
• cause to retch or choke
• make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit
• To experience the vomiting reflex.
• To cause to heave with nausea.
• To restrain someone's speech by blocking his or her mouth.
• To pry or hold open by means of a gag.
• To restrain someone's speech without using physical means.
• To choke; to retch.
• To deceive (someone); to con.
• To astonish (someone); to leave speechless.

Synonyms

choke, fret, gag grouper, gag order, heave, jape, jest, joke, laugh, muzzle, quip, retch, strangle, suffocate

Related Words

ag-gag, blech, retch