gig
gb/ɡˈɪɡ/ us/ɡˈɪɡ/
B2
English
~ 8900
alkalmi munka, megbízás, fellépés, hakni, giga, gigabájt, bricska, kétkerekű lovaskocsi, hajócsónak, szolgálati csónak, szigony, halászszigony, szigonyoz, szigonnyal fog
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
1
megbízás
B2
Usage pattern:
to have/get/do [a gig] as [a role]
She picked up a weekend gig as a barista to pay off her student loans.
Elvállalt egy hétvégi alkalmi munkát baristaként, hogy törleszteni tudja a diákhitelét.
I’ve been doing a few online tutoring gigs in the evenings.
Mostanában esténként néhány online korrepetálási megbízást vállalok.
After the layoff, he survived by taking any writing gigs he could find.
That design gig only lasted three weeks, but it paid really well.
He treats driving for the app as a side gig, not his main career.
Learner examples
I have a small gig as an English tutor.
Van egy kisebb alkalmi munkám angoltanárként.
She does a driving gig at night for extra money.
Éjszakánként alkalmi sofőrmunkát vállal egy kis pluszpénzért.
He found a new online gig last month.
My brother has a side gig making videos for companies.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "gig" only means a music performance. In modern English, it is often used for any short or freelance job (for example, an online tutoring gig, a driving gig, a design gig). Also, do not say "a gig work"; say "a gig" or "gig work".
Meaning
temporary or freelance job
Collocations
side gig
|freelance gig
|one-off gig
|short-term gig
|online gig
|steady gig
Synonyms
job (More general and neutral; does not suggest temporary or freelance work the way "gig" often does.)
|
freelance work (Highlights that the work is independent and project-based, not a regular job.)
Antonyms
permanent job (A long-term, stable job; the opposite of the short or uncertain nature of many gigs.)
Themes
work
|business
|economy
Definition
A job that is short, part-time, or freelance, often extra work besides your main job.
A job or piece of work, especially one that is temporary, part-time, or freelance, often done in addition to a main job.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
2
Usage pattern:
to play/do/book [a gig] at [a place]
The band has a gig at the downtown club on Friday night.
A zenekarnak péntek este fellépése lesz a belvárosi klubban.
It was her first stand-up gig, and she was really nervous.
Ez volt az első standupos fellépése, és nagyon izgult.
Our DJ just canceled, so we need someone else to take the gig.
He plays small café gigs during the week and bigger festival gigs in the summer.
They booked three gigs in London before starting their tour.
Learner examples
The band played a gig at a small bar.
A zenekar fellépett egy kis bárban.
Tonight I have a gig at a big club.
Ma este fellépésem van egy nagy klubban.
He got a gig as a guitarist for a famous singer.
Her first gig was in a tiny room with twenty people.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with the general "job" meaning. A "gig" in this sense is one performance or booking, not a full-time position. Say "play a gig" or "do a gig", not usually *"make a gig".
Meaning
live performance booking
Collocations
live gig
|first gig
|small gig
|club gig
|headline gig
|book a gig
Synonyms
show (General word for a performance; "gig" is more informal and often used by performers themselves.)
|
performance (More formal and general; "gig" suggests a specific booking, often in popular music or comedy.)
Antonyms
day off (A time with no scheduled performance or work; contrasts with having a gig booked.)
Themes
entertainment
|music
|work
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Definition
A show or performance that a band, singer, comedian, or other performer does at one time and place.
A single live performance or engagement by a musician, comedian, or other performer, usually at a specific place and time.
NOUN
B2
INFORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
[a number] gig(s) of [memory/storage/data]
This game takes up almost fifty gigs on my hard drive.
Ez a játék majdnem ötven gigát foglal a merevlemezemen.
My phone only has 64 gigs of storage, so I ran out of space fast.
A telefonomon csak 64 giga tárhely van, ezért hamar elfogyott rajta a hely.
You’ll need at least eight gigs of RAM to run that software smoothly.
The video is huge—it’s over two gigs to download.
He upgraded his laptop from four gigs of memory to sixteen.
Learner examples
My phone has 128 gigs of storage.
A telefonomon 128 giga tárhely van.
This file is big; it is almost one gig.
Ez a fájl nagy; majdnem egy giga.
The computer has eight gigs of RAM.
I used three gigs of data watching videos.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes write "gig" in formal technical writing, where "GB" or "gigabyte" is preferred. Also, do not confuse "gig" (gigabyte) with "gig" as a job or performance; the meaning is clear from the tech context (RAM, storage, data).
Meaning
one gigabyte of data
Collocations
a few gigs
|16 gigs of RAM
|64 gigs of storage
|download uses two gigs
Synonyms
gigabyte (The full, standard term; "gig" is more casual and mainly used in speech.)
Antonyms
kilobyte (A much smaller unit of digital data; contrasts with the relatively large size of a gigabyte.)
Themes
technology
|computing
|science
Definition
A short way to say "gigabyte", a unit for measuring how much digital information or storage something has.
An informal spoken abbreviation for a gigabyte, used as a unit of digital information or storage capacity.
NOUN
C1
ARCHAIC
4
bricska
C1
Usage pattern:
to ride/drive [a gig]
He arrived at the house in a smart little gig drawn by a bay horse.
Egy pej ló húzta takaros kis bricskán érkezett a házhoz.
The country doctor made his rounds in a battered old gig.
A vidéki orvos ütött-kopott öreg bricskáján járta végig a betegeit.
In the painting, a gentleman drives a gig along a quiet country lane.
Learner examples
The rich man came to the house in a small gig.
A gazdag ember egy kis bricskán érkezett a házhoz.
In old stories, doctors often travel in a gig.
Régi történetekben az orvosok gyakran bricskán járnak.
A gig is a light carriage with two wheels.
Meaning
light two-wheeled carriage
Collocations
light gig
|pony gig
|horse-drawn gig
Synonyms
carriage (A general word for horse-drawn vehicles; "gig" refers more specifically to a small, light, two-wheeled type.)
Themes
transport
|history
|transportation
|travel
Definition
An old kind of light carriage with two wheels, pulled by a horse, for one or two people.
A light, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage for one or two people, used especially in the 18th and 19th centuries.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
5
hajócsónak
C1
Usage pattern:
to lower/use [the gig] from [a ship]
The captain’s gig was lowered to take the officers ashore.
Leengedték a kapitány hajócsónakját, hogy partra vigye a tiszteket.
A small gig lay alongside the ship, ready for inspection duty.
Egy kis hajócsónak vesztegelt a hajó mellett, készen az ellenőrzési szolgálatra.
They rowed the gig out ahead of the vessel to sound the channel.
Learner examples
The ship sent a gig to the shore.
A hajóról egy hajócsónakot küldtek a partra.
Sailors rowed the gig across the water.
A matrózok áteveztek a vízen a hajócsónakkal.
The captain used a special gig to go to land.
Meaning
long narrow ship’s boat
Collocations
ship’s gig
|naval gig
|captain’s gig
Synonyms
launch (Another type of ship’s boat; "gig" is more specific, often lighter and faster.)
Themes
transport
|maritime
|transportation
|travel
Definition
A long, narrow boat from a big ship, used to move people or do work on the water.
A long, narrow rowing or sailing boat carried by a larger ship, used for transporting people or for service duties.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
6
szigony
B2
Usage pattern:
to use [a gig] to catch [fish/frogs]
He grabbed his frog gig and headed down to the pond at dusk.
Fogta a békafogó szigonyát, és alkonyatkor lement a tóhoz.
The old man showed us how to sharpen the prongs on a fishing gig.
Az öreg megmutatta, hogyan kell megélezni a halászszigony fogait.
Using a gig, they could catch several small fish with a single thrust.
Learner examples
He used a gig to catch frogs at the lake.
Szigonnyal fogott békákat a tónál.
The gig has many sharp points at one end.
A szigony egyik végén több éles hegy van.
They took a gig and went to the river at night.
Meaning
spear for fish or frogs
Collocations
frog gig
|three-prong gig
|fishing gig
Synonyms
spear (A general word; "gig" is a specific type with several prongs used for fishing or frog hunting.)
Themes
outdoors
|hunting
|animals
|nature
Definition
A long stick with sharp points at one end, used to catch fish or frogs by spearing them.
A long pole with several sharp prongs on one end, used for spearing fish, frogs, or other small aquatic animals.
VERB
C1
INFORMAL
7
szigonyoz
B2
Usage pattern:
to gig [fish/frogs] in/at [a place]
They used to gig frogs in the creek on summer nights.
Régen nyári éjszakákon békákat szigonyoztak a patakban.
We went out to gig flounder in the shallow bay.
Kimentünk lepényhalat szigonyozni a sekély öbölbe.
He learned to gig fish from his grandfather when he was a boy.
Learner examples
They like to gig frogs at the river at night.
Szeretnek éjszaka békákat szigonyozni a folyónál.
He learned to gig fish from his uncle.
A nagybátyjától tanulta meg, hogyan kell halat szigonyozni.
Last weekend we went to gig flounder in the bay.
Meaning
to spear fish or frogs
Collocations
gig frogs
|gig flounder
|go gigging
|night gigging
Synonyms
spear (General verb; "gig" is more specific to catching fish or frogs with a pronged pole.)
Antonyms
release (To let animals go free instead of catching or spearing them.)
Themes
outdoors
|hunting
|animals
|nature
Definition
To catch fish or frogs by pushing a long stick with sharp points into them.
To catch fish, frogs, or similar animals by spearing them with a multi-pronged pole.
Grammar
Dictionary form
gig
IPA
GB/ɡˈɪɡ/
US/ɡˈɪɡ/
Syllables & stress
gig (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (gig)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: gig
- Plural: gigs
Word family
Forms
gigs
noun
Expressions
book a gig
1/bˈʊk ə ɡˈɪɡ/
fixed phrase
informal
arrange a future gig
To arrange and fix a time for a job or performance in the future.
Examples
- The band booked three gigs for the summer festival season.
- I’m trying to book more gigs before the end of the year.
- She just booked a big gig doing makeup for a film shoot.
dream gig
1/dɹˈim ɡˈɪɡ/
fixed phrase
informal
ideal or perfect gig
A job or performance that is perfect for someone and exactly what they really want to do.
Examples
- Working as a travel photographer is her dream gig.
- Opening for that band was a dream gig for the young guitarist.
- He finally landed his dream gig at a top tech company.
first gig
1/fˈɚst ɡˈɪɡ/
fixed phrase
informal
someone’s first job or show
The first job or performance that someone ever did in a career or activity.
Examples
- Her first gig as a stand-up comic was in a tiny bar.
- My first gig out of college was a low-paid internship.
- He still remembers his first gig with the band in high school.
gig economy
1/ɡˈɪɡ ɪkˈɑnəmi/
fixed phrase
economy based on short-term gigs
The part of the economy where many people work in short jobs or freelance work instead of long-term full-time jobs, often using apps or websites to find work.
Examples
- Many young people are turning to the gig economy for flexible work.
- Lawmakers are debating how to protect workers in the gig economy.
- The rise of the gig economy has changed how companies hire people.
gig worker
1/ɡˈɪɡ wˈɚkɚ/
fixed phrase
person working in gig jobs
A person who makes money by doing many short or freelance jobs instead of one long-term job.
Examples
- Many gig workers do not receive traditional employee benefits.
- The law aims to give gig workers more protections and rights.
- As a gig worker, she drives for two apps and does delivery on weekends.
land a gig
1/lˈænd ə ɡˈɪɡ/
fixed phrase
informal
successfully get a gig
To successfully get a job or performance, especially after trying for it.
Examples
- He finally landed a gig writing articles for a big website.
- The band landed a gig opening for a famous singer.
- She was excited to land her first paid photography gig.
play a gig
1/plˈeɪ ə ɡˈɪɡ/
fixed phrase
informal
perform at a gig
To perform music (or sometimes comedy) at a show or event that has been planned.
Examples
- They’re playing a gig at the university tonight.
- We used to play two or three gigs a week when we were starting out.
- He’s nervous because he’s playing his first solo gig tomorrow.
side gig
1/sˈaɪd ɡˈɪɡ/
fixed phrase
informal
extra job besides main work
A second, smaller job that someone does in addition to their main job, usually to earn extra money or follow an interest.
Examples
- She works as a teacher and has a side gig designing websites.
- His side gig walking dogs now makes almost as much as his day job.
- I started a side gig selling handmade jewelry online.
steady gig
1/stˈɛdi ɡˈɪɡ/
fixed phrase
informal
regular, ongoing gig
A job or regular performance that gives you work again and again, not just one time.
Examples
- He finally found a steady gig playing piano at a hotel bar.
- She has a steady gig as a freelance translator for three companies.
- After years of one-off shows, the comedian got a steady gig on a TV show.