gal
1 Americannoun
noun
abbreviation
abbreviation
noun
abbreviation
noun
abbreviation
abbreviation
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.
The old gal had a rough year in 2025, and 2026 isn’t promising to be any better.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 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
Testing showed that he had indeed been sensitized to alpha gal.
From Science Daily • Dec. 17, 2025
I was always a little community theater gal when I was younger.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2024
The cap’n said, “Is you paying ’tention, gal?
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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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.