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Synonyms

gallop

American  
[gal-uhp] / ˈgæl əp /

verb (used without object)

  1. to ride a horse at a gallop; ride at full speed.

    They galloped off to meet their friends.

  2. to run rapidly by leaps, as a horse; go at a gallop.

  3. to go fast, race, or hurry, as a person or time.

    Synonyms:
    scoot, fly, speed, dash, rush, run

verb (used with object)

  1. to cause (a horse or other animal) to gallop.

noun

  1. a fast gait of the horse or other quadruped in which, in the course of each stride, all four feet are off the ground at once.

  2. a run or ride at this gait.

  3. a rapid rate of going.

  4. a period of going rapidly.

gallop British  
/ ˈɡæləp /

verb

  1. (intr) (of a horse or other quadruped) to run fast with a two-beat stride in which all four legs are off the ground at once

  2. to ride (a horse, etc) at a gallop

  3. (intr) to move, read, talk, etc, rapidly; hurry

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the fast two-beat gait of horses and other quadrupeds

  2. an instance of galloping

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • galloper noun
  • outgallop verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of gallop

1375–1425; late Middle English galopen (v.) < Old French galoper < Frankish *wala hlaupan to run well ( well 1, leap ) or, alternatively, verbal derivative of *walhlaup, equivalent to *wal battlefield (cognate with Old High German wal; Valkyrie ) + *hlaup run, course (derivative of the v.)

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.

Slot stood watching in disbelief in stoppage time when Sergino Dest was allowed to gallop clear and cross to Driouech for a clinical finish.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

Yet the drama was still not over, as after getting the ball back with 54 seconds left, Williams hit rookie tight end Colston Loveland to gallop away for a 58-yard winning score.

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025

Just inside, Max Streicher’s “Quadriga” stages massive billowing horses that call to mind wingless Pegasi the way they seem to gallop through the air.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2024

While still very much an open world, with fields to gallop across and deep canyons and caves to plunge into, Shadow of the Erdtree bends toward the layer-cake-like level design of the original Dark Souls.

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2024

At least she was living her life, busting out of its seams, letting the horses gallop, before she had to leave.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

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.