GAG Synonyms | Collins English Thesaurus (2025)

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idiom: Additional synonyms

gag

(noun) in the sense of muzzle

Definition

something, usually a piece of cloth, stuffed into or tied across the mouth

His captors had put a gag of thick leather in his mouth.

Synonyms

muzzle

dogs that have to wear a muzzle

tie

It's a bit of a tie, going there every Sunday.

restraint

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1(verb) in the sense of silence

Definition

to stop up (a person's mouth), usually with a piece of cloth, to prevent them from speaking or crying out

I gagged him with a towel.

Synonyms

silence

muffle

I held a handkerchief over my mouth to muffle my voice.

muzzle

quieten

She tried to quieten her breathing.

stifle

stop up

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2(verb) in the sense of suppress

Definition

to deprive of free speech

a journalist who claimed he was gagged by his bosses

Synonyms

suppress

She surpressed a smile at the thought.

silence

He tried to silence anyone who spoke out against him.

subdue

He forced himself to subdue and overcome his fears.

muffle

curb

He must learn to curb that temper of his.

stifle

Critics have accused them of trying to stifle debate.

muzzle

He complained of being muzzled by the chairman.

quieten

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3(verb) in the sense of retch

Definition

to choke as if about to vomit or as if struggling for breath

I knelt by the toilet and gagged.

Synonyms

retch

The smell made me retch.

choke

heave

She gasped and heaved and vomited.

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idiom:

See be gagging for something or be gagging to do something

gag

(noun) in the sense of joke

Definition

a joke, usually one told by a professional comedian

(informal)

He made a gag about bald men.

Synonyms

joke

No one told worse jokes than Claus.

crack (slang)

He made a nasty crack about her weight.

funny (informal)

When I played against him, he kept cracking funnies all the time.

quip

a deadpan quip

pun

The title of the book is a pun on his name.

jest

It was a jest rather than a reproach.

wisecrack (informal)

He kept making wisecracks about her weight.

sally

She had thus far succeeded in fending off my conversational sallies.

witticism

This witticism produced a burst of raucous laughter.

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Additional synonyms

in the sense of crack

Definition

a gibe or joke

He made a nasty crack about her weight.

Synonyms

joke,

dig,

insult,

gag (informal),

quip,

jibe,

wisecrack,

witticism,

funny remark,

smart-alecky remark

in the sense of curb

Definition

to control or restrain

He must learn to curb that temper of his.

Synonyms

restrain,

control,

check,

contain,

restrict,

moderate,

suppress,

inhibit,

subdue,

hinder,

repress,

constrain,

retard,

impede,

muzzle,

bridle,

stem the flow of,

keep a tight rein on

in the sense of funny

When I played against him, he kept cracking funnies all the time.

Synonyms

joke (informal),

crack (slang),

quip,

pun,

jest,

wisecrack,

witticism,

play on words