gang
1 (găng)
[Middle English, band of men, from Old English, journey, and Old Norse -gangr, journey, group (as in thjofagangr, gang of thieves).]
noun
- A group of criminals or hoodlums who band together for mutual protection and profit.
- A group of adolescents who band together, especially a group of delinquents.
- Informal A group of people who associate regularly on a social basis: The whole gang from the office went to a clambake.
- A group of laborers organized together on one job or under one foreperson: a railroad gang.
- A matched or coordinated set, as of tools: a gang of chisels.
- A pack of wolves or wild dogs.
- A herd, especially of buffalo or elk. See synonyms at flock1
verb: ganged, gang·ing, gangs.
intransitive verb
- To band together as a group or gang.
transitive verb
- To arrange or assemble into a group, as for simultaneous operation or production: gang several pages onto one printing plate.
- To attack as an organized group.
phrasal verbs
- gang up
- To join together in opposition or attack: The older children were always ganging up on the little ones.
- To act together as a group: various agencies ganging up to combat the use of illicit drugs.
gang
2 (găng)
noun
- Variant of gangue
gangue,
also gang
(găng)
[French, from German Gang, lode, from Middle High German ganc, from Old High German gang, a going.]
noun
- Worthless rock or other material in which valuable minerals are found.
