ENGLISH
REFERENCE

gang

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɡæŋ// UK //ɡˈæŋ// gang Archaic Dialect General-service

n. a group of friends who spend a lot of time together. It can also mean a group of people who work together or a group involved in crime.

n. a group of people who associate together for social, professional, or criminal purposes. Often carries a negative connotation when referring to organised crime, but remains neutral in casual or industrial contexts.


SIMPLE

The whole gang is coming over for dinner tonight.

CONTEXTUAL

The local road crew worked as a gang to repair the highway before the winter storms arrived.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English gangen, from Old English gangan (“to go, walk, turn out”), from Proto-West Germanic gangan, from Proto-Germanic ganganą (“to go, walk”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ- (“to step, walk”). Cognate with Scots gang (“to go on foot, walk”), Swedish gånga (“to walk, go”), Faroese ganga (“to walk”), Icelandic ganga (“to walk, go”), Vedic Sanskrit जंहस् (jáṃhas). Ultimately related to Etymology 2, which see below.

Etymology 2

From Middle English gang, from Old English gang (“a journey; way; passage”), from Proto-West Germanic gang, from Proto-Germanic gangaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰongʰ-o-s, from ǵʰengʰ- (“to step; stride”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Gong, Dutch gang, German Gang, Norwegian gang, Swedish gång, Icelandic gangur, Vedic Sanskrit जंहस् (jáṃhas).

Etymology 3

See gan.

Etymology 4

Shortening of gangbang.

Usage

Commonly used with 'the whole' to refer to a complete group of friends.

Idioms2 entries

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