1
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the movie featured a gag involving a chicken driving a car that audiences thought was hysterically funny
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2
as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
played a gag on their teammate by putting shaving cream in his hat
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
3
as in to joke
to make jokes
the actor typically mugs and gags through his movies, but in his latest vehicle he plays it straight
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of gag
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Over Your Dead Body knows that sustaining a harmonious union amid petty jealousies, paranoia, and personal flaws is hard; navigating a hostage situation involving desperate sickos and sociopaths is even harder; and maintaining a balance of laughs and gag-reflex tweaking is the hardest of it all.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
In July 2013, Anderson and Walker were found bound, gagged, tortured and shot to death in Anderson’s home, according to police.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gag
Noun
Even the infamous moment when Frank dispatches Eddie (Harvey Guillén) with a chainsaw lands more like a gag than a shock.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Over Your Dead Body knows that sustaining a harmonious union amid petty jealousies, paranoia, and personal flaws is hard; navigating a hostage situation involving desperate sickos and sociopaths is even harder; and maintaining a balance of laughs and gag-reflex tweaking is the hardest of it all.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Babies may gag instead of coughing, turn red or blue or briefly stop breathing.
—Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
In July 2013, Anderson and Walker were found bound, gagged, tortured and shot to death in Anderson’s home, according to police.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gag
Noun
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Just ask Harris, whose handling of the border under Biden became a running joke in politics.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
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Now, if there’s some people telling these jokes at a church service, that would be one thing.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
14 May 2026
Noun
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During a news conference Thursday, members of the group said the early morning operation was part of an ongoing campaign of harassment, including members being followed home and prank calls on their hotline.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
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Shortly after midnight on May 25, prosecutors said the same group of teens were driving around San Mateo pulling pranks on classmates from Hillsdale High School.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Few walk out in protest anymore, and fewer still vomit, faint, or require the emergency medical attention the press so loves to lead with.—
Caroline Lillian Schopp,
Artforum,
13 May 2026
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One puppy later vomited up a bone, a stark indication of what little the animals had been consuming to survive.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The intensifying conflict in the Middle East has choked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz – a vital route for roughly 20% of the world’s oil, natural gas and critical raw materials.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
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The lawsuit also claims officers choked Day and slammed him against a wall, eventually coercing him into confessing to killing Irving and Garcia.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Noun
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But when the Phillies remember the good times — the champagne toasts, the boisterous October clubhouses, the laughs shared on the field in the clubhouse — Suarez will always be there.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Hammond spent a year at the Comedy Cellar trying to crack Al Gore and never got a laugh.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Winston makes a cameo to execute another electric Ford Field trick play, and the Giants lose a close one with their offense starting to find a new gear.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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Sophisticated as chatbots’ responses may be, they are stitched together from statistical patterns in large datasets—an impressive trick but one that still falls short of the breadth and reliability in human-level clinical reasoning.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Despite that underlying tension, kids play on the street outside while the large family has a dynamic like any other — noisily squabbling, joking, or in the case of the matriarchal grandmother, Mariam (Hiam Abbass), preparing a meal in a kitchen plagued by constant utility outages.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
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The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gag. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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