gavel

1 of 3

noun (1)

gav·​el ˈga-vəl 

: 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 

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

Jewels from Bulgari, Harry Winston and Van Cleef & Arpels will go under the gavel, as will furniture and art from Frederick Carl Frieseke, Edward Henry Potthast and William Merritt Chase, among others. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 31 July 2025

Eckhardt continued reading her statement while Campbell attempted to stop her several times before banging the gavel. —Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

Verb

The regular legislative session will gavel in Tuesday and stretch through early June as lawmakers approve a state budget and new laws for the next two years. —Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

Lawmakers will gavel back in for the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly, a budget year, next January. —Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

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

Phrases Containing gavel

• gavel-to-gavel

Rhymes for gavel

• caval
• cavil
• gravel
• travel
• unravel

Kids Definition

gavel

noun

gav·​el

ˈgav-əl

: the mallet of an officer in charge of a meeting or of an auctioneer