gavel /ˈɡa.vəl/noun 9verb 3forms 5phrases 2 noun9 •A wooden mallet, used by a courtroom judge, or by a committee chairman, struck against a sounding block to quieten those present, or by an auctioneer to accept the highest bid at auction. •A mason's setting maul. •(US) The beginning or end of legal proceedings. •(US) The legal system as a whole. •(historical) An old Saxon and Welsh form of tenure by which an estate passed, on the holder's death, to all the sons equally; also called gavelkind. •(historical) Rent. •A small heap of grain, not tied up into a bundle. •(no longer used) Usury; interest on money. •(Scotland, no longer used) A gable. verb3 •To use a gavel. •To begin or end legal proceedingsThe judge gavelled for order in the courtroom after the defendant burst out with a confession. •To divide or distribute according to the gavel system. formsgaveled · gavelled · gaveling · gavelling · gavels Phrases with gavel gavel outTo bang the gavel to indicate the conclusion of a court session. gavel to orderTo initiate or restore the orderly functioning of (a meeting or function or assembly or court), usually by pounding a gavel or similar hammer.
