gag C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary US /ɡæɡ/ UK /ɡæɡ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a joke; a cloth to silence the mouth; to retch or silence The comedian opened with a gag about airline food. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a joke; a cloth to silence... jokejestquipwisecrackmufflesilenceretch Word family Derived forms gagster Etymology AI details Of uncertain origin; the 'silence/choke' sense is probably imitative of the sound of choking, attested from the 15th century; the 'joke' sense is 20th-century theatrical slang. Topics General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # gag **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ɡæɡ/ **IPA (UK):** /ɡæɡ/ ## Meanings 1. a joke; a cloth to silence the mouth; to retch or silence ## Examples - The comedian opened with a gag about airline food. ## Synonyms - joke - jest - quip - wisecrack - muffle - silence - retch ## Derived Forms - gagster ## Etymology Of uncertain origin; the 'silence/choke' sense is probably imitative of the sound of choking, attested from the 15th century; the 'joke' sense is 20th-century theatrical slang. ## AI Etymology Gag is of uncertain origin; the 'silence/choke' sense is probably imitative of the sound of choking, attested from the 15th century; the 'joke' sense is 20th-century theatrical slang. The history is deliberately cautious: the proposed comparison is useful for orientation, but the wording leaves room for uncertainty rather than forcing a false certainty. In present use, it is used as a noun and verb meaning "a joke; a cloth to silence the mouth; to retch or silence", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as gagster, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. Its semantic neighborhood includes joke, jest, quip, and wisecrack, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story. ## Topics - General Vocabulary markdown