gaggle

noun

1. (collective)A group of geese when they are on the ground or on the water.

   “The Canada geese always flew over the 80 acre lake; it was a landmark on their route and a stopping point for many a gaggle, where many hours were spent after feeding in the farmers' fields.”

   “They're only referred to as a gaggle when they're on land. When they're flying in formation they can be referred to as a skein.”

2. (broadly)Any group or gathering of related things, particularly one perceived as noisy, boisterous or chaotic.

   “A gaggle of gays—probably no more than 15 or so, but from our perspective there seemed to be literally scores of them—pranced, skipped and otherwise just plain camped their way into the last few rows of seats.”

   “There were no signs and no one quite knew how to navigate the museum, including, as it was Fleet Week, gaggles of boyish sailors all in their summer whites. It looked like a Frank Sinatra movie.”

   “The crow’s name was Betty. And she was on her way to stardom. A gaggle of Oxford University scientists watched in wonder as she casually picked up a piece of wire in her cage and then used a nearby object to bend it at one end, transforming the wire into a hooked tool.”

   “The party level ramps up at Thornaby, where a gaggle of women on a 50th birthday bash join us.”

   “Millwall were allocated 3,781 tickets for this six-mile trip down the south London train tracks. The away end was duly packed out and ringed, sternly, by a gaggle of widely jeered Metropolitan police.”

3. (abbreviation, alt-of)Short for press gaggle: an informal briefing of journalists.

   “Last week, Mr. Trump told the [Christian Science] Monitor during a gaggle with reporters that there were “about four” other states where Republicans should redraw the maps besides Texas.”

4. (collective, historical)A group of women.

verb

1. To make a noise like a goose; to cackle.

   “Geese do gaggle”

   “When a friend asked Socrates, how he could bear the scolding of his wife Xantippe? he retorted, and asked him, how he could bear the gaggling of his geese?”