gale

1
[ geyl ]
See synonyms for gale on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a very strong wind.

  2. Meteorology. a wind of 32–63 miles per hour (14–28 meters per second).

  1. a noisy outburst: a gale of laughter filled the room.

  2. Archaic. a gentle breeze.

Origin of gale

1
First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian dialect geil “uproar, unrest, boiling”

Other words for gale

Words Nearby gale

Other definitions for gale (2 of 3)

gale2
[ geyl ]

Origin of gale

2
before 1000; Middle English gail,Old English gagel; cognate with German Gagel

Other definitions for Gale (3 of 3)

Gale
[ geyl ]

noun
  1. Zo·na [zoh-nuh], /ˈzoʊ nə/, 1874–1938, U.S. novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and poet.

  2. a female or male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gale in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gale (1 of 2)

gale1

/ (ɡeɪl) /


noun
  1. a strong wind, specifically one of force seven to ten on the Beaufort scale or from 45 to 90 kilometres per hour

  2. (often plural) a loud outburst, esp of laughter

  1. archaic, poetic a gentle breeze

Origin of gale

1
C16: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for gale (2 of 2)

gale2

/ (ɡeɪl) /


noun
  1. short for sweet gale

Origin of gale

2
Old English gagel; related to Middle Low German gagel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012