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REFERENCE

gang

n. · v.
US //ˈɡæŋ// UK //ɡˈæŋ// gang
  1. 1 group of friends (n.)
    A2 Elementary Informal

    a group of friends who spend a lot of time together.

    an informal social group of friends or associates.

    Example

    The whole gang is coming over to my house to watch the game tonight.

    Example

    I still meet up with the old gang from university at least once a year to catch up on everyone's lives.
  2. 2 criminal group (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a group of criminals who work together to break the law.

    an organised group of individuals who engage in illegal or antisocial activities, often claiming a specific territory.

    Example

    The police are trying to stop the local gang from selling drugs in the park.

    Example

    The documentary explores how street gangs establish influence in urban areas through a combination of intimidation and community support.
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  1. 3 work crew (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a group of workers who do a job together under a leader.

    a squad of labourers or technicians working together on a specific task or project.

    Example

    A gang of road workers arrived early this morning to fix the potholes.

    Example

    The foreman managed a gang of twenty railway engineers who were responsible for maintaining the tracks through the mountain pass.
  2. 4 technical set (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Technical

    a set of similar tools or electrical parts that work together.

    a combination of similar mechanical tools or electrical components arranged to operate as a single unit.

    Example

    The electrician installed a three-gang switch to control all the lights in the hall.

    Example

    The machinery utilised a gang of saws to cut multiple timber planks simultaneously, significantly increasing the factory's hourly output.
  3. 5 to go (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Dialect Archaic

    an old or regional way to say 'to go' or 'to walk'.

    to go, walk, or proceed; primarily found in Northern English and Scots varieties.

    Example

    Things might gang wrong if we don't follow the plan carefully.

    Example

    The old ballad tells of a young man who must gang away to the wars, leaving his true love behind in the glen.
  4. 6 to group together (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Technical

    to connect or group things together so they work as one unit.

    to arrange or connect multiple components, such as electrical switches or mechanical parts, to act in concert.

    Example

    You can gang these two controllers together to manage the entire system from one spot.

    Example

    The engineers decided to gang the capacitors in parallel to achieve the required total capacitance for the high-voltage circuit.
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.

Word family
Idioms2 entries

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