gallon

American  

[gal-uhn] / ˈgæl ən /

noun

1. a common unit of capacity in English-speaking countries, equal to four quarts, the U.S. standard gallon being equal to 231 cubic inches (3.7853 liters), and the British imperial gallon to 277.42 cubic inches (4.546 liters). gal.

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gallon British  

/ ˈɡælən /

noun

1. Also called: imperial gallon.  a unit of capacity equal to 277.42 cubic inches. 1 Brit gallon is equivalent to 1.20 US gallons or 4.55 litres

2. a unit of capacity equal to 231 cubic inches. 1 US gallon is equivalent to 0.83 imperial gallon or 3.79 litres

3. (plural) great quantities

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gallon Scientific  

/ găl′ən /

1. A unit of liquid volume or capacity in the US Customary System equal to 4 quarts (3.79 liters).

2. See Table at measurement

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Etymology

Origin of gallon

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English galo(u)n, gallon, from Old North French galon, derivative from base of Medieval Latin gallēta “jug, bucket,” of uncertain origin

Compare meaning

How does gallon compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gallon vs. liter
• pint vs. gallon

Example Sentences

The burst sent some 240 million gallons of untreated waste from toilets and sinks into the Potomac.

From The Wall Street Journal

Crush margins for its ethanol were 15 cents a gallon more than the prior year, says the firm.

From The Wall Street Journal

A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline cost $2.92 on average in the U.S. on Tuesday, according to AAA, down 24 cents from a year ago.

From The Wall Street Journal

He thought of the gallon jugs of bottled water his dad had carefully packed in the camper.

From Literature

With billions of gallons burned each year, this resulted in nearly 2 pounds of lead entering the environment per person annually.

From Science Daily