gel
Americannoun
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gels
plural
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Physical Chemistry. a semirigid colloidal dispersion of a solid with a liquid or gas, as jelly, glue, etc.
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Theater. gelatin.
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Biochemistry. a semirigid polymer, as agarose, starch, cellulose acetate, or polyacrylamide, cast into slabs or cylinders for the electrophoretic separation of proteins and nucleic acids.
verb (used without object)
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gels,
present (3rd person singular)
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gelled,
past participle, past
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gelling
present participle
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to form or become a gel.
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jell.
noun
verb
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to become or cause to become a gel
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a variant spelling of jell
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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gelsimple
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gelssimple
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have gelledperfect
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has gelledperfect
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am gellingprogressive
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are gellingprogressive
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is gellingprogressive
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have been gellingperfect progressive
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has been gellingperfect progressive
Past
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gelledsimple
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had gelledperfect
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was gellingprogressive
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were gellingprogressive
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had been gellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gel
First recorded in 1895–1900; shortening of gelatin
Vocabulary lists containing gel
Theater - Middle School
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Theater - High School
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Vocabulary from Readings 3, Unit 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:
Once applied, the gel forms a thin but durable coating that penetrates the tooth's surface and fills microscopic cracks and gaps.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
Dentists could apply the gel directly to teeth using a procedure similar to existing fluoride treatments, making it potentially easy to incorporate into routine dental care.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
London City Lionesses are clearly no minnows, but even a squad full of superstars needs time to gel.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
But many more ended up with expensive busts who struggled to pick up the playbook and gel with their new teams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
I had put gel in my hair too, but all that did was make the black curls shinier and stiffer.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
How Ferrero gels with Shelton's dad - a former professional player who won two ATP titles - will be key.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
If it did, the attempt to recreate the first film’s magic would’ve come with plenty of film stock and some colored gels to make sure every shot isn’t washed out in jaundiced yellow.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
However, those gels still need to be surgically implanted.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
Fuelled by McDonald's, pasta and energy gels to sustain her for 15 to 18 hours of running a day, Woods was supported along the course by husband George, friend Zoe and Nila the dog.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
And her shorts have little pouches built in—I can see the tops of energy gels peeking out from both sides of her hips.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
But when she arrives at Iona’s apartment, Andie is shocked to see that a coiffed perm, light makeup, a sensible suit and a string of pearls have replaced her friend’s beehives and gelled spikes.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2026
After treatment with dancing molecules, the gelled nanofiber scaffold reduced inflammation, shrank glial scarring, stimulated neurite extension, and encouraged neurons to grow in organized patterns.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 16, 2026
Many people see only his “stark white shirt, blue suit and, yeah, the gelled hair, and they think ‘Oh, I know this guy,’” he said in the video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
This type of car gelled much more naturally with Hamilton's driving style, which is to brake late and use the change in aerodynamic pressure to help rotate the car into the corner.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
His hair looked like it had been gelled, and he smelled amazing.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
There’s a rhythm and a quality of engagement that I learned completely in the theater world that applied to the gelling and the cohesion of “Rooster” in all of the scenes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
A theme of Rangers' pre- and early season matches has been one of a team still gelling.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2023
The gummy section covers various gelling agents like gelatin, agar agar, pectin and tapioca starch.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2022
A unit that was overhauled in the offseason by free-agent signings and has taken time to develop chemistry due to injuries and inconsistency, may finally be gelling at just the right time.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2021
A method according to claim 1 wherein said gel 60 consists essentially of 1,2-butylene oxide and a gelling agent selected from the group consisting of SiO2, particulate carbon and aluminum octoate.
From U.S. Patent 4,293,314: Gelled Fuel-Air Explosive October 6, 1981. by Bertram O. Stull
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