gavel

1 of 3

noun (1)

gav·​el ˈga-vəl How to pronounce gavel (audio)
: rent or tribute in medieval England

gavel

2 of 3

noun (2)

: a mallet used (as by a presiding officer or auctioneer) for commanding attention or confirming an action (such as a vote or sale)

gavel

3 of 3

verb

gaveled or gavelled; gaveling or gavelling ˈga-v(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce gavel (audio)

transitive verb

: to bring or force by use of a gavel
gaveled the audience to silence

Examples of gavel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Surprising Fact Senate leaders are elected by a majority vote of their respective parties, unlike the House speaker, who needs support from the majority of Congress to win the gavel. Sara Dorn, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Johnson won the gavel after conservatives ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a historic vote last year, raising the question of whether the Louisiana Republican may at some point face a similar threat against his speakership. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 His handling of the shutdown threat — moving a last-minute stopgap measure to fund the government and avert a funding lapse — cost him the speaker's gavel. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2024 The outcome was certain before the gavel came down to open the meeting. Jeffrey Collins, Quartz, 6 Feb. 2024 The coveted wrist candy is set to go under the gavel on Thursday night at the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative’s charity dinner in Kitzbühel, with a starting price of roughly $54,300 (€50,000). Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 18 Jan. 2024 But after the gavel was hit, the state only made $2,075, according to officials. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The late monarch’s 2016 Range Rover has been listed for sale with Bramley Motor Cars in the U.K., a mere three months after her 2004 example went under the gavel at Iconic Auctioneers. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2024 At the House dais, Speaker Mike Johnson held the gavel, looking stricken. Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024
Verb
Its hearing was scheduled upon House adjournment on Tuesday, less than an hour before the chamber was supposed to gavel in, drawing backlash from Democrats. The Courier-Journal, 13 Mar. 2024 Legislators will gavel back in on April 12 and April 15 and would have an opportunity at that time to override vetoes. The Courier-Journal, 1 Feb. 2024 No legislation is truly dead until the lawmakers gavel out at the end of the 60-day session, which is scheduled to end March 8. Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024 The House and Senate are scheduled to gavel back in at 4 p.m., Monday. Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 21 Jan. 2024 When one of the most stinging defeats of his short tenure arrived on Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson had put himself front and center in the House chamber, standing in front of the speaker’s ceremonial chair on the upper tier of the rostrum to gavel it down. Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024 The governor has yet to release his agenda for the upcoming session, but 188 lawmakers will gavel into their annual rush of lawmaking on Wednesday ready to unleash agendas of their own. Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2024 That afternoon, House and Senate will gavel in, introduce bills in rapid succession and assign them to committees. The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024 So, maybe a woman or person of color won’t be wielding the House gavel at this point next week. Philip Elliott, TIME, 5 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gavel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English gafol; akin to Old English giefan to give

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1835, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gavel was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gavel

Cite this Entry

“Gavel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gavel. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gavel

noun
gav·​el
ˈgav-əl
: the mallet of an officer in charge of a meeting or of an auctioneer

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