gal
noun
a term used to refer to a girl or woman.
gal
1 American
[gal]
/ gæl /
noun
Informal: Sometimes Offensive.
gal
2
American
[gal]
/ gæl /
noun
gal.
3
American
abbreviation
Gal.
4
American
abbreviation
Bible.
Gal.
1
British
abbreviation
GAL
2
British
abbreviation
gal
3
British
/ ɡæl /
noun
gal.
4
British
abbreviation
gal
5
British
/ ɡæl /
noun
gal.
Scientific
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.
See Examples For:
Part 1: “Travel. Down your mimosas gal we’re flying easyJet’s finest aircraft to Split, Croatia.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Is the old gal slipping, or is the costume design?
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 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
But I didn’t say what Big Ma used to tell me: “Scrub like a gal in a one-cow town.”
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
"Carla. The sweetest, most sparkly gal. You made every day better and brighter with your infectious positivity," Kinney wrote.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Instead of saying, ‘I know a guy,’ say, ‘I know a gal. And she can do the job,’” Rowland said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2021
But each time I am like, “Oh, this is the gal. This is the one.”
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2020
“It’s ridiculous. I’ve got a first cousin that’s married to an African American gal. So their kids are biracial, and I love them just like the rest of my second cousins.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 11, 2019
“Quiet, gal. There’s enough trouble awake without stirring more. We’ll talk on the boat.”
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
And even in the Greek-speaking churches of St. Paul's day, that sacred word was still used side by side with its Greek equivalent, according to the witness of this and the parallel passage, Gal. iv.
From St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Vol. I A Practical Exposition by Charles Gore
It must suffice to say that to the present writer the identification of Gal. ii. 1-10 with Acts xi.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4 "G" to "Gaskell, Elizabeth" by Various
This condemning law is delivered in a Mediator's hand, even Jesus Christ, Gal. iii.
From The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning by Hugh Binning
No man is permitted to do everything which seemeth right in his eyes, and to follow every conceit which takes him in the head; but every man is bound to walk by rule, Gal. vi.
From The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) by George Gillespie
We need not quote at length the important passage Gal. ii.
From Supernatural Religion, Vol. II. (of III) An Inquiry into the Reality of Divine Revelation by Walter Richard Cassels
It’s unclear whether this is a cart-before-the-horse move or if it’s being done in coordination with Montgomery’s GAL request.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2021
A GAL looks out for a person who is allegedly incapable of making their own decisions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2021
If approved, the stadium will be built on the current sites of one of the old parking garages currently used for Yankee games and the GAL elevator parts factory across East 153rd Street.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2020
GAL: “Get a life” and a galileo, a unit used measuring local variations in the acceleration of gravity: For some reason, whenever I start talking about the latter, I hear the former.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 21, 2015
To read this you will see you must take the first letter of each verse: TRO, Trophemus; GAL, Galliæorum; and APO, Apostolus.
From A Year's Journey through France and Part of Spain, Volume 2 by Philip Thicknesse
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