gel
Americannoun
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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.
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
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.
An immediate inductee into Swift’s “Glitter Gel Pen” song Hall of Fame, “Opalite” is for dancing around your kitchen with a glass of orange wine in hand.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2025
"Gel baits have been found by numerous studies to be very effective, at least in the lab, for German cockroach control," Gordon said.
From Salon • Aug. 24, 2024
Mallinckrodt said in court filings it was facing increasing competition for Acthar Gel, as well as setbacks in its attempts to introduce an easy-to-use, self-injector variant.
From Reuters • Aug. 28, 2023
Gel polish treatments have spiked in popularity over recent years because the polish is long-lasting.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2023
But Bio Gel has been modified for future recipients so that no one lives beyond an “acceptable and appropriate” time.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
