gel

American  

[jel] / dʒɛl /

noun

1. Physical Chemistry. a semirigid colloidal dispersion of a solid with a liquid or gas, as jelly, glue, etc.

2. Theater. gelatin.

3. 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.

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verb (used without object)

gelled, gelling

1. to form or become a gel.

2. jell.

gel British  

/ dʒɛl /

noun

1. a semirigid jelly-like colloid in which a liquid is dispersed in a solid

   nondrip paint is a gel

2. See hair gel

3. informal theatre See gelatine

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verb

1. to become or cause to become a gel

2. a variant spelling of jell

Other Word Forms

• degel
  verb (used with object)
• nongelling
  adjective
• regel
  verb (used without object)

Etymology

Origin of gel

First recorded in 1895–1900; shortening of gelatin

Example Sentences

Earp led a new study examining whether a topical testosterone gel could help older women recovering from hip fractures when combined with exercise.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

The relationship never seemed to gel, Zanardi rarely showed the performance the team expected of him, and Williams released him at the end of the year.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

At the end of my treatment, Chen gave me under-eye gel pad masks, for added hydration, while conducting one last head massage.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Since it operated without the pouches of chromatic gel that Samaras had previously manipulated, he employed double exposures, colored lights, and paint to alter his images.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

I couldn't gel near him, but I stayed till his eye started to crust over.

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson

Related Words

• clot
• condense
• congeal
• curdle
• swell