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gang

 - 9 dictionary results

gang

1  [gang]
–noun
1. a group or band: A gang of boys gathered around the winning pitcher.
2. a group of youngsters or adolescents who associate closely, often exclusively, for social reasons, esp. such a group engaging in delinquent behavior.
3. 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.
4. a group of persons working together; squad; shift: a gang of laborers.
5. a group of persons associated for some criminal or other antisocial purpose: a gang of thieves.
6. a set of tools, electronic components or circuits, oars, etc., arranged to work together or simultaneously.
7. a group of identical or related items.
–verb (used with object)
8. to arrange in groups or sets; form into a gang: to gang illustrations for more economical printing on one sheet.
9. to attack in a gang.
–verb (used without object)
10. to form or act as a gang: Cutthroats who gang together hang together.
—Verb phrase
11. gang up on, Informal. (of a number of persons) to unite in opposition to (a person); combine against: The bigger boys ganged up on the smaller ones in the schoolyard.
Use gang in a Sentence
Origin:
1300–50; ME; OE gang, gong manner of going, way, passage; c. OHG gang, ON gangr, Goth gagg; cf. gang 2

Synonyms:
1. company, crowd, crew; party, set, clique, coterie. 4. team.

gang

2  [gang]
–verb (used without object) Chiefly Scot. and North England.
to walk or go.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME gangen, OE gangan, gongan; c. OHG gangan, ON ganga, Goth gaggan; cf. gang 1 , n. deriv. from same base
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To gang
gang 1   (gāng)   
n.  

  1. A group of criminals or hoodlums who band together for mutual protection and profit.

  2. A group of adolescents who band together, especially a group of delinquents.

  3. Informal A group of people who associate regularly on a social basis: The whole gang from the office went to a clambake.

  4. A group of laborers organized together on one job or under one foreperson: a railroad gang.

  5. A matched or coordinated set, as of tools: a gang of chisels.

    1. A pack of wolves or wild dogs.

    2. A herd, especially of buffalo or elk. See Synonyms at flock1.

v.   ganged, gang·ing, gangs

v.   intr.
To band together as a group or gang.
v.   tr.

  1. To arrange or assemble into a group, as for simultaneous operation or production: gang several pages onto one printing plate.

  2. To attack as an organized group.

Phrasal Verb(s):
gang up

  1. To join together in opposition or attack: The older children were always ganging up on the little ones.

  2. To act together as a group: various agencies ganging up to combat the use of illicit drugs.


[Middle English, band of men, from Old English, journey, and Old Norse -gangr, journey, group (as in thjofagangr, gang of thieves).]
gang 2   (gāng)   
n.  Variant of gangue.
gangue also gang   (gāng)   
n.  Worthless rock or other material in which valuable minerals are found.

[French, from German Gang, lode, from Middle High German ganc, from Old High German gang, a going.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

gang 
O.E. gong "a going, journey, way, passage," and O.N. gangr "a group of men, a set," both from P.Gmc. *gangaz (noun of action related to *gangan "to go"), from PIE base *ghengh- "to step" (cf. Skt. jangha "shank," Avestan zanga- "ankle," Lith. zengiu "I stride"). The sense evolution is probably via meaning "a set of articles that are usually taken together in going," especially a set of tools used on the same job. By 1627 this had been extended in nautical speech to mean "a company of workmen," and by 1632 the word was being used, with disapproving overtones, for "any band of persons traveling together." Gangway is O.E. gangweg "road, passage," and preserves the original sense of the word, as does gangplank (1846, Amer.Eng., replacing earlier gang-board). To gang up (on) is first attested 1925. To come on like gangbusters (c.1940) is from radio drama "Gangbusters" (1937-57) which always opened with a cacophony of sirens, screams, shots, and jarring music. Gang of Four (1976) translates Chinese sirenbang, the nickname given to the four leaders of the Cultural Revolution who took the fall in Communist China after the death of Mao.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: gang
Function: noun
: a group of persons associating for antisocial and often criminal purposes and activities
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

gang

In addition to the idiom beginning with gang, also see like gangbusters.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia

gang

a group of persons, usually youths, who share a common identity and who generally engage in criminal behaviour. In contrast to the criminal behaviour of other youths, the activities of gangs are characterized by some level of organization and continuity over time. There is no consensus on the exact definition of a gang, however, and scholars have debated whether the definition should expressly include involvement in crime. Some gangs, but not all, have strong leadership, formalized rules, and extensive use of common identifying symbols. Many gangs associate themselves with a particular geographic area or type of crime, and some use graffiti as a form of nonverbal communication

Learn more about gang with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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