galore

American  

[guh-lawr, -lohr] / gəˈlɔr, -ˈloʊr /

adverb

1. in abundance; in plentiful amounts.

   food and drink galore.

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galore British  

/ ɡəˈlɔː /

determiner

1. (immediately postpositive) in great numbers or quantity

   there were daffodils galore in the park

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Etymology

Origin of galore

1660–70; < Irish go leor enough, plenty ( Scots Gaelic gu leòr, leòir ), equivalent to go, particle forming predicative adjectives and adverbs + leór enough ( Old Irish lour )

Explanation

At a party with more cupcakes than anyone could imagine, you’ll hear guests say, “There are cupcakes galore!” Galore means there’s so much that it’s unbelievable. The Irish phrase go lear literally translates as “to sufficiency.” If there are sufficient enough bananas to build a house with them, you’d say that there are bananas galore. The word is an example of a postpositive adjective, which means it comes after the word it describes. So when you go to a circus and 700 clowns surround you, don’t say “There are galore clowns,” because the correct way to express your terror is this: “There are clowns galore. Help!”

Example Sentences

Donald Nairn has run Toys Galore in Edinburgh's Morningside for the last 17 years.

From BBC • Nov. 16, 2022

Ginger Minj, star of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and Netflix’s “Dumplin’” and “Super Drags,” teams up with Gidget Galore in this nondenominational musical romp through the holidays at 7 p.m.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2021

Honor Blackman, the actress best known as Pussy Galore in the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger” has died at age 94.

From Fox News • Apr. 6, 2020

But Blackman’s most famous role was as Pussy Galore in 1964’s “Goldfinger.”

From Washington Times • Apr. 6, 2020

Blackman played Pussy Galore in the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger,” as well as Cathy Gale in “The Avengers,” a 1961 spy drama television series.

From Reuters • Apr. 6, 2020