gig
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a live performance by a musician or a group, usually in a club or bar.
n.a live performance engagement for a musician or musical ensemble, typically in a commercial venue.
Simple“The band is playing a small gig at the local pub this Saturday night.”
In context“After months of rehearsing in a garage, the trio finally landed a recurring gig at a prestigious jazz club downtown.”
UsageOften used with the verbs 'play', 'get', or 'do'.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a job that is temporary or freelance rather than a permanent position.
n.a temporary, freelance, or on-demand work assignment, often associated with the 'gig economy'.
Simple“He took a writing gig for a travel website to earn some extra money.”
In context“The shift toward freelance platforms has made it easier for consultants to pick up a short-term gig without committing to a single employer.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is the origin of the term 'gig economy'.
SynonymsAntonymscareerpermanent job - 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a short way to say gigabyte, which is a unit of computer memory.
n.a colloquial clipping of gigabyte, representing one billion bytes of digital information.
Simple“My new phone has 256 gigs of storage for photos and videos.”
In context“The technician explained that the software update would require at least four gigs of free space on the primary drive.”
SynonymsGBgigabyte - 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a long pole with a sharp, pointed end used for catching fish or frogs.
n.a multi-pronged spear or harpoon used for catching fish or small aquatic animals.
Simple“The fisherman used a gig to catch frogs in the shallow water.”
In context“Traditional gigging requires a steady hand and a sharp gig to strike the fish through the murky river water.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to perform music or act in a show, especially as a job.
v.to work as a performer, particularly by playing musical sets or theatrical roles.
Simple“She has been gigging around the city for years to build her reputation.”
In context“The drummer spent his youth gigging in various blues bars before joining a major touring production.”
- 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to catch fish or other small animals using a sharp spear.
v.to strike or catch aquatic prey using a specialized spear or gig.
Simple“They went out to the swamp at night to gig for bullfrogs.”
In context“Local regulations often restrict the seasons during which residents are permitted to gig for specific species of freshwater fish.”
“There are rumours Meghan has been offered an acting gig.”
“In our survey, 61% of gig workers supported this idea, as did more than half of other kinds of workers.”
The etymology of the noun is unknown, but compare Old French gigue (“a fiddle”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Sense 1 is a clipping of gigabyte, while sense 2 is a clipping of giga- (prefix multiplying the unit to which it is attached by one billion).
The noun is derived from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”); further origin uncertain, possibly: from Old Norse [Term?] (compare Danish gig (“a top”), dialectal Norwegian giga (“to shake about”)), from Proto-Germanic gīganą (“to move, wish, desire”), from Proto-Indo-European gʰeyǵʰ-, gʰeygʰ- (“to yawn, gape, long for, desire”); or * ultimately onomatopoeic. Senses 2–4 are thought to derive from sense 1 (“whipping-top”), but their exact relationship is unclear. The verb is derived from the noun.
From Middle English gig, gigge, gegge, possibly either: * from Old French gigue (“tall, skinny girl”) (modern French gigue), from Old Norse gikkr (“pert person”) (related to Danish gjæk (“fool, jester”), Swedish gäck (“fool, jester; a wag”); see also geck); or * from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”) (see etymology 3).
The noun is derived from a clipping of fishgig, fizgig, possibly from Spanish fisga (“harpoon”). The verb is derived from the noun.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.