Meanings
adjectivegavel-to-gavel (not comparable)
- not comparableFrom the start of an official proceeding to the finish.
After the experiment was widely deemed a success, the House voted 342-44 to make gavel-to-gavel broadcast permanent.
2010, David Brian Robertson, Loss of Confidence: Politics and Policy in The 1970s, →ISBN, page 32
Origin
From the fact that, in a court of law, a gavel is often used when opening a case and after the final jurisdiction.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
gavel-to-gavel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gavel-to-gavel
MLA
“gavel-to-gavel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gavel-to-gavel. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gavel-to-gavel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gavel-to-gavel.
Source: gavel-to-gavel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.