gig

1 of 9

noun (1)

plural gigs
: a job usually for a specified time
especially : an entertainer's engagement see also gig economy, gig worker

gig

2 of 9

verb (1)

gigged; gigging

intransitive verb

: to work as a musician
gigged with various bandsDownbeat

gig

3 of 9

noun (2)

gig

4 of 9

noun (3)

1
a
: a long light ship's boat
b
: a rowboat designed for speed rather than for work
2
: a light 2-wheeled one-horse carriage
3
: something that whirls or is whirled: such as
a
: a 3-digit selection in a numbers game
b
obsolete : top, whirligig
4
: a person of odd or grotesque appearance

gig

5 of 9

verb (2)

gigged; gigging

intransitive verb

: to travel in a gig

gig

6 of 9

noun (4)

1
: a pronged spear for catching fish
2
: an arrangement of hooks to be drawn through a school of fish in order to hook their bodies

gig

7 of 9

verb (3)

gigged; gigging

transitive verb

1
: to spear with a gig
2
a
chiefly Western US : spur, jab
b

intransitive verb

: to fish with a gig

gig

8 of 9

noun (5)

: a military demerit

gig

9 of 9

verb (4)

gigged; gigging

transitive verb

: to give a military gig to

Examples of gig in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Morgan Wallen, who is fresh off a headlining gig at Stagecoach music festival, was scheduled to attend a court date in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday (May 3) in regards to his arrest after allegedly throwing a chair off the roof of a Broadway Street bar. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 2 May 2024 He's been busy in the years since, with works like Django Unchained and Doubt on his résumé, in addition to a hosting gig on the reality competition series King of the Nerds. Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024 The group will take a pause from their stadium gigs to play Milwaukee for the first time since reuniting with their most beloved guitarist, John Frusciante, after a decade-long absence. Piet Levy, Journal Sentinel, 2 May 2024 The venue then postponed a makeup gig by the Black Keys and two shows by comedian Peter Kay, and axed a performance by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, set for earlier this week. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2024 But in the new movie, written by Drew Pearce, Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) needs no side gig. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 May 2024 So the two friends shared some barbecue, Johnson left for his gig, and Janson left for his. Melinda Newman, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024 One of her gigs was writing the invitations for Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s 2005 wedding. Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024 Jakob Nowell, Gaugh and Wilson, according to People, are planning to continue to play together at various music festivals and one-off gigs in the years to come. Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Verb
For years, Jeremy Strong was a relatively anonymous, steadily gigging actor. David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 And since that last Genesis gig nearly two years ago, Collins has rarely been seen in public. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2024 Weezer gigged regularly over the next few months — at Club Lingerie, at the Coconut Teaszer, at the Central (now known as the Viper Room) — to more or less the same five people. Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024 The group has not toured widely since 2019, with Ann and Nancy Wilson instead working on solo projects and gigging with their respective side bands. Spin Staff, SPIN, 29 Jan. 2024 Despite his illness, Mr. Fiddler gigged regularly in Detroit until last year, with up-and-coming groups like Will Sessions, Duality/Detroit and Dames Brown (a female vocal trio whose debut album, for which Mr. Fiddler was executive producer, will be released in 2024). Mike Rubin, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2023 This is a huge career step for a 23 year-old who has been gigging as a professional musician since his mid-teens. Jordan A. Rothacker, SPIN, 20 Dec. 2023 Over the next few years, the group gigged regularly, often playing Motown covers, and cycled through a few names before eventually settling on Kool and the Gang and setting out to write their own material. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2023 Bynum points out that while Boston’s music schools have rosters of jazz stars who come to the city to teach and then leave, Lowe has been a constant presence, playing in clubs, creating with his artist daughter Naima, and even gigging at the Milton Farmers’ Market. Noah Schaffer, BostonGlobe.com, 7 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gig.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Noun (3)

Middle English -gyge (in whyrlegyge whirligig), of unknown origin

Noun (4)

short for earlier fizgig, fishgig, of unknown origin

Noun (5)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1926, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1937, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1987, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1570, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb (2)

1807, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1722, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (3)

1803, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (5)

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above

Verb (4)

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gig was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near gig

Cite this Entry

“Gig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gig. Accessed 7 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

gig

1 of 3 noun
1
: a long light boat
2
: a light two-wheeled one-horse carriage

gig

2 of 3 noun

gig

3 of 3 noun
: an entertainer's job for a specified time
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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