gal
noun
a term used to refer to a girl or woman.
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gales.
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:
Next up came the second part’s “Say It’s Not You,” George Jones’s plaintive, twangy ballad about a man’s fears that his gal is being unfaithful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
These bites can cause the immune system to become sensitive to alpha gal, a sugar naturally found in meat from mammals.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 17, 2025
The cap’n said, “Is you paying ’tention, gal?
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Later we were allowed 10 gal. of gas a month.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
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
“I’m a mainstream media gal. I don’t think the government is after me,” she said.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 28, 2017
“Well, if there’s anybody due for a bit of spaghetti humbling, it’s that Van Helsing gal. Kid was born with her nose turned up.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
Indeed, Barnabas's vacillation at Antioch, as recorded in Gal. ii.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various
“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump,” Gal. v.
From The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) by Gillespie, George
Two leaves of the ninth century at St. Petersburg, containing Gal. v. 14-vi.
From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. I. by Scrivener, Frederick Henry Ambrose
My second argument whereby I prove that the imposing of the observation of holidays doth bereave us of our liberty, I take out of two places of the Apostle, the one, Gal. iv.
From The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) by Gillespie, George
The effects on the negative side are manifest in Gal. v.
From The Spirit-Filled Life by MacNeil, John
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
In the document, which included a full transcript of Spears’ June 23 court testimony, Montgomery stated that having a GAL “would honor Ms. Spears’ wishes while still protecting her best interests.”
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 Thicknesse, Philip
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.
