gang
1 Americannoun
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a group or band.
A gang of boys gathered around the winning pitcher.
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a group of youngsters or adolescents who associate closely, often exclusively, for social reasons, especially such a group engaging in delinquent behavior.
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a group of people with compatible tastes or mutual interests who gather together for social reasons.
I'm throwing a party for the gang I bowl with.
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a group of persons working together; squad; shift.
a gang of laborers.
- Synonyms:
- team
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a group of persons associated for some criminal or other antisocial purpose.
a gang of thieves.
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a set of tools, electronic components or circuits, oars, etc., arranged to work together or simultaneously.
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a group of identical or related items.
verb (used with object)
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to arrange in groups or sets; form into a gang.
to gang illustrations for more economical printing on one sheet.
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to attack in a gang.
verb (used without object)
verb phrase
verb (used without object)
noun
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a group of people who associate together or act as an organized body, esp for criminal or illegal purposes
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an organized group of workmen
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a herd of buffaloes or elks or a pack of wild dogs
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a group of shearers who travel to different shearing sheds, shearing, classing, and baling wool
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a series of similar tools arranged to work simultaneously in parallel
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( as modifier )
a gang saw
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verb
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to form into, become part of, or act as a gang
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(tr) electronics to mount (two or more components, such as variable capacitors) on the same shaft, permitting adjustment by a single control
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- ganged adjective
Etymology
Origin of gang1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gang, gong, Old English gang, gong “manner of going, way, passage”; cognate with Old High German gang, Old Norse gangr, Gothic gagg; gang 2
Origin of gang2
First recorded before 900; Middle English gangen, Old English gangan, gongan; cognate with Old High German gangan, Old Norse ganga, Gothic gaggan; gang 1 (noun derivative from same root)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the carriage raced into the night, Leah heard the shouts of a rowdy gang following close behind.
From Literature
The alpine country Freeman disappeared into is the same one that harboured Ned Kelly and his infamous gang of bushrangers in the 1870s.
From BBC
A grooming gangs inquiry is expected to be ordered by the Scottish government.
From BBC
"They defended our Motherland with honor and pride!!! But in reality, they found themselves in the gang of these commanders, who received awards for tens of thousands of dead and missing!" the letter reads.
From BBC
Rio's militias emerged around four decades ago when former police officers and security agents created so-called self-defense groups to protect communities from drug gangs.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
