gig
1a single professional engagement of one or more performers, especially of jazz or rock musicians: His band has a gig at a club in New Jersey.
a live performance, as on a stage: I went to see my friend's comedy gig.
any job, especially one of short or uncertain duration: Years ago he had a teaching gig out west somewhere.
relating to or being a job of short or uncertain duration: Gig workers don't receive benefits such as health insurance.
to work as a musician or other performer, especially in a single engagement: That vocalist has gigged with some of the biggest names in the business.
to work at any job, especially one of short or uncertain duration: He gigs as a clown at children’s birthday parties.
Origin of gig
1Other definitions for gig (2 of 5)
Origin of gig
2Other definitions for gig (3 of 5)
a light, two-wheeled one-horse carriage.
Nautical.
a light boat rowed with four, six, or eight long oars.
a boat reserved for the use of the captain of a ship.
something that whirls.
Also called gig mill . a roller containing teasels, used for raising nap on a fabric.
Obsolete. whirligig (def. 5).
to ride in a gig.
to raise the nap on (a fabric).
Origin of gig
3Other definitions for gig (4 of 5)
a device, commonly four hooks secured back to back, for dragging through a school of fish to hook them through the body.
a spearlike device with a long, thick handle, used for spearing fish and frogs.
to catch or spear (a fish or frog) with a gig.
to catch fish or frogs with a gig.
Origin of gig
4Other definitions for gig (5 of 5)
an official report of a minor infraction of regulations, as in school or the army; a demerit.
a punishment for a minor infraction of rules.
to give a gig to or punish with a gig.
Origin of gig
5Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use gig in a sentence
The “captains gig,” a large open boat, was fitted with masts and salvaged sails.
Giant anchors, wrecked boats and a ‘Liberty’ clock: Inside the storage site for Navy museum | Michael Ruane | November 10, 2020 | Washington PostThe most notable example was the passage of Proposition 22, the success of which shows the power of gig companies with enough cash to write themselves out of the state’s employment laws.
Morning Report: What Women Candidates and Officeholders Face | Voice of San Diego | November 9, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoThe measure saves gig companies big costs that they would’ve had to spend on paying employees and the full benefits that come with them.
3 key takeaways from Uber’s latest pandemic-impacted quarter | Danielle Abril | November 6, 2020 | FortuneFresh off of its success on Election Day, Uber is signaling that it will continue to push laws similar to the Proposition 22 measure approved by California voters that will keep gig workers classified as independent contractors.
After Prop 22’s passage, Uber is taking its lobbying effort global | Kirsten Korosec | November 5, 2020 | TechCrunchCalifornia’s Prop 22 passed to the relief of gig companies like Uber and Lyft, which spent millions of dollars on the ballot initiative to continue classifying their drivers as independent contractors.
They'd just spent two years gigging around Los Angeles to minimal effect.
Remembering Weezer’s ‘The Blue Album,’ A Garage Rock Classic, on Its 20th Anniversary | Andrew Romano | May 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was really nice because all the real wrestlers in the dressing room gave me a standing ovation for gigging.
He told me the day he met me, he says, “Do you know what gigging is?”
It was on our way in return, when "gigging back," as the raftsmen term it, that I first caught a glimpse of success.
Buckskin Mose | Buckskin Mose
British Dictionary definitions for gig (1 of 4)
/ (ɡɪɡ) /
a light two-wheeled one-horse carriage without a hood
nautical a light tender for a vessel, often for the personal use of the captain
a long light rowing boat, used esp for racing
a machine for raising the nap of a fabric
(intr) to travel in a gig
(tr) to raise the nap of (fabric)
Origin of gig
1British Dictionary definitions for gig (2 of 4)
/ (ɡɪɡ) /
a cluster of barbless hooks drawn through a shoal of fish to try to impale them
short for fishgig
to catch (fish) with a gig
Origin of gig
2British Dictionary definitions for gig (3 of 4)
/ (ɡɪɡ) informal /
a job, esp a single booking for a musician, comedian, etc, to perform at a concert or club
the performance itself
(intr) to perform at a gig or gigs
Origin of gig
3British Dictionary definitions for gig (4 of 4)
/ (ɡɪɡ) /
informal short for gigabyte
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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