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Synonyms

gal

1 American  
[gal] / gæl /

noun

Informal: Sometimes Offensive.

  1. a term used to refer to a girl or woman.

gal 2 American  
[gal] / gæl /

noun

  1. a centimeter-gram-second unit of acceleration, equal to one centimeter per second per second.

gal. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. gallon; gallons.

Gal. 4 American  

abbreviation

Bible.

  1. Galatians.

gal. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. gallon

"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
gal 2 British  
/ ɡæl /

noun

  1. a unit of acceleration equal to 1 centimetre per second per second

"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
Gal. 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. Galatians

"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
gal 4 British  
/ ɡæl /

noun

  1. slang a girl

"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
GAL 5 British  

abbreviation

  1. get a life

"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
gal. Scientific  

  1. Abbreviation of gallon

Sensitive Note

See girl.

Etymology

Origin of gal1

First recorded in 1785–95; originally, a dialectal pronunciation of girl

Origin of gal2

First recorded in 1910–15; named after Galileo

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Her accent alternates mid-sentence from city gal to snidely British, Ida loudly accusing a mob boss of murdering women.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

In September 2023 the NRA approved Chubu Electric's estimate of 1,200 gal, a unit of acceleration used to measure the intensity of quakes.

From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026

That doctor contacted Platts Mills and his team to explore whether alpha gal sensitivity could be involved.

From Science Daily • Dec. 17, 2025

That style was even referenced in the film Something's Gotta Give, in which Keaton told Jack Nicholson's character that she's "just a turtleneck kinda gal".

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

“Listen, here’s the dope, see? The gal where I’m working, the daughter of the old man who’s rich, a millionaire, has done run off with a Red, see?”

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.