gala
Americanadjective
noun
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galas
plural
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a festive occasion; celebration; special entertainment.
a gala featuring opera stars in their most famous scenes.
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festal pomp or dress.
noun
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a celebration; festive occasion
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( as modifier )
a gala occasion
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a sporting occasion involving competitions in several events
a swimming gala
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gala
1615–25; < French < Italian < Old French; see gallant
Explanation
A gala is a big party. If you're going to a gala, you'll want to wear your fanciest ball gown — you'll want to look great for the best party of the year. A gala often features entertainment and dinner, and sometimes dancing and an auction. It's like a prom — but for adults. If you want to raise money for your favorite hospital, or museum, or theater, you could throw a gala, charge people a lot to attend, and give your profits to the charity. A gala can also be just a big celebration, like a gala dinner before the Oscars ceremony. Gala is from the Old French gale, "rejoicing."
Vocabulary lists containing gala
I Am Malala
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Fever 1793
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Academy Awards, List 2
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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:
Four months later, Mark went to a swimming gala where he competed against more experienced boys of the same age who were not disabled.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Unitree had previously drawn significant attention during China's annual Spring Festival gala performance, with its dexterous robots, wearing traditional Chinese vests, seen performing Kung Fu and jumping over tables.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The nonprofit organization noted that hours after last year’s honors gala ended, Paramount announced it was launching its hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
Teachers attended the workshop’s 50th-anniversary gala and met Michelle Obama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
In 1917, just before Christmas, she was invited to take part in a gala concert at the Georgia State Industrial College, a black college in Savannah.
From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman
There have been security incidents at big-ticket galas before, most notably when a couple of fame-seekers crashed a state dinner in the first year of the Obama administration.
From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026
It isn’t an event of multimillion-dollar distribution deals or black-tie galas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Designers cater to an extremely exclusive clientele able to purchase pieces for thousands of dollars intended for red carpets, galas, weddings or other public events.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
Only three Grand Slam galas - the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open - have been worth attending.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025
I saw so many children suffering still—why should I be enjoying galas and ceremonies?
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
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.
