What does "gong" mean?
A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a loud resonant sound when struck with a soft hammer.
Gong
/ɡɔŋ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a loud resonant sound when struck with a soft hammer.
- Grammar: gong is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: chime, tam-tam, alarm, alert.
- Useful contrasts: deny, disqualification, distraction.
- Usage evidence: When she dumped me, the shock of it was like a huge gong going off and scrambling all my thoughts.
How to use "gong"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gong" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gong" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gong" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gong" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gong" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chime" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gong", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a loud resonant sound when struck with a soft hammer.
"All the time six or eight large Chinese gongs were being beaten by the vigorous arms of as many young men, producing such a deafening discord that I was glad to escape to the round house, where I slept very comfortably with half a dozen smoke-dried human skulls suspended over my head."
- 2 An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory. obsolete
"The Iewe of Tewkysbury which fell into a Gonge vpon the Satyrday."
- 3 A kind of cultivation energy, more powerful than qi. uncountable
- 4 a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument wordnet
- 5 A medal or award, particularly Knight Bachelor. British, slang
"This grooming of the national mindset explains the retention of 92 "hereditary peers" in the House of Lords: individuals who are gifted a right to sit in the nation's upper chamber and facilitate laws for no other reason than that their ancestor was the illegitimate child of some prince, or willing to spaff a few quid on the title when David Lloyd Gorge was selling of gongs for bribes."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 The contents of an outhouse pit: shit. obsolete
- 7 An advanced practice that cultivates such energy. uncountable
- 8 a percussion instrument consisting of a metal plate that is struck with a softheaded drumstick wordnet
- 9 A metal target that emits a sound when it has been hit.
Verb
- 1 To make the sound of a gong; to ring a gong. intransitive
"Poor old Pyecraft! He has just gonged, no doubt to order another buttered tea-cake!"
- 2 sound a gong wordnet
- 3 To send a signal to, using a gong or similar device.; To halt (originally, a contestant in a talent show; later, a performer, a speaker). transitive
"As she was gonged, host Daryl Somers swept rapidly across and salvaged an embarrassing situation by putting his arm around her and asking her whether she had children."
- 4 To send a signal to, using a gong or similar device.; To warn. transitive
"The driver gonged the pedestrian crossing the tracks, but the pedestrian didn't stop."
- 5 To give an award or medal to. British, slang, transitive
"In 1972 he was awarded the British Red Cross Silver Medal for his services to the Red Cross. In 1978 he was 'gonged' once again, this time with the Queen's Jubilee Medal, marking the 25th year of her reign."
Proper Noun
- 1 Wollongong. New-South-Wales, colloquial
Antonyms
Example
"When she dumped me, the shock of it was like a huge gong going off and scrambling all my thoughts."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gong"?
Common synonyms include: chime, tam-tam, alarm, alert, award, battery.
How do you use "gong" in a sentence?
When she dumped me, the shock of it was like a huge gong going off and scrambling all my thoughts.
How do you pronounce "gong"?
Pronounced /ɡɔŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Malay gong, possibly onomatopoeic.
Etymology 2
From Middle English gong, from Old English gong, where it was originally a variant of the noun gang (“a going, walk, journey, way, etc.”), derived from the verb gangan (“to go, walk, travel”), whose relation to go in Proto-Germanic remains unclear. Doublet of gang.
Etymology 3
From Mandarin 功 (gōng, “merit; achievement”).