1
as in jokes
something said or done to cause laughter
the movie featured a gag involving a chicken driving a car that audiences thought was hysterically funny
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in pranks
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
as in vomits
to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth
the terrible smell of rotting fish made me gag
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2
3
as in quips
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
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Recent Examples of gags
Kevin Doughten, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
Perhaps the more vulgar visual gags with butts and such look a little more innocent in 3D?
—Lindsey Bahr, Boston Herald, 20 Dec. 2025
These gags can be funny, but the propulsive mechanics of farce require more of a sense of movement.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
While familiarly imbued with quips and gags, the mystery (now streaming on Netflix) is also full of heart.
—Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Dec. 2025
Audrey Geisel reportedly intervened at several points during the initial writing process because certain gags were a little too risqué for the family-friendly appeal of the original.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
There are, of course, the usual ridiculous gags and puns and a long set up for a Scooby-Doo joke that might be the stupidest and funniest in all of Pynchonland.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
That will prove to be one of the film’s wittier running gags — that everyone in this rarefied world marries their first or second cousin, because that’s the only way to keep the wealth in the family.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Dec. 2025
Yes, the natural charisma is there, but gone are the hammy flourishes and over-the-top gags.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
And yet to take nothing away from the great John Landis and Amy Heckerling, journeyman director Jeremiah Chechik does the best job in bringing all of Hughes’s gags to brilliant visual life.
—Verb
Some gags land, others don’t, and the script’s sudden bursts of melancholy dependably catch you in the gut.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for gags
Noun
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Yes, as it is said, some jokes just write themselves.—
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Performers have been reprimanded for making racist, sexist and homophobic jokes during shows in the late 1990s and 2000s, according to Westword, and Stock Show officials were quick to apologize.—
Noun
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CrowdStrike senior vice president of counter adversary Adam Meyers told Fortune these techniques have been honed after years of escalating pranks in video game spaces.—
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Tucker, Connor and Carson began rising to TikTok fame in 2019 with their viral videos featuring lifestyle content, family pranks, comedy skits and food and sports challenges.—
Verb
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My cat vomits once every week or two.—
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Be aware the virus may be aerosolized when someone vomits, meaning surfaces several feet away could be contaminated, the USDA said.—
Verb
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Physical bullying happens when a child hits, kicks, trips, pushes, chokes or otherwise hurts another child.—
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Left to die, breathless and alone, Invisigal chokes while Robert screams from the other end of the comms.—
Noun
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Not all of the jokes work, but even the grumpiest theatergoers will find plenty of laughs.—
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But the comedians also used those laughs to reveal the fundamental absurdity of violence and conflict.—
Noun
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There is no one organizational system that fits every family and lifestyle, but there are some tips and tricks that help.—
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So what are their go-to tricks for creating a space worth hibernating in?—
Cite this Entry
“Gags.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gags. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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