gel
Americannoun
-
Physical Chemistry. a semirigid colloidal dispersion of a solid with a liquid or gas, as jelly, glue, etc.
-
Theater. gelatin.
-
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)
-
to form or become a gel.
-
jell.
noun
verb
-
to become or cause to become a gel
-
a variant spelling of jell
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gelsimple
-
gelssimple
-
have gelledperfect
-
has gelledperfect
-
am gellingprogressive
-
are gellingprogressive
-
is gellingprogressive
-
have been gellingperfect progressive
-
has been gellingperfect progressive
Past
-
gelledsimple
-
had gelledperfect
-
was gellingprogressive
-
were gellingprogressive
-
had been gellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gel
First recorded in 1895–1900; shortening of gelatin
Vocabulary lists containing gel
Theater - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Theater - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary from Readings 3, Unit 2
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Islander Chris Chadwick said he was against the application, saying: "It just didn't gel with me that they were going to cover a greenfield site with solar panels."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Unlike conventional fluoride products, however, the new gel contains no fluoride.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
A newly developed dental gel may be able to rebuild damaged tooth enamel, potentially creating a new approach to preventing decay and restoring worn teeth.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
This is due to pressure building inside the toy, increasing the risk it may explode and release the hot gel inside which can stick to the skin and cause severe burns.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
I have abandoned my intricate routine of gel, comb, mousse, straightening iron, curling iron, and hairspray...that would totally derail us getting to school on time.
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
UV light is used for air purification, curing resins in 3D printing, hardening gels in dental fillings, and even applications such as nail treatments.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
To be clear: These athletes aren’t chowing on the yucky old sports gels we all know and hate, the ones that taste like tangerines and moldy baseball gloves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
Their team, which specialise in hydrogels, worked alongside Sawe to train him to absorb the 90-120 grams of carbohydrates included in the gels within an hour period without feeling distress.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
Hand gels and wipes are not effective substitutes.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
“They’ll also have energy gels for you at the water stops,” he told me.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
The cast of the Sky show appear to have gelled well over its run.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
Ferrell gelled with each of them and everybody else, doing the Will Ferrell thing, which still works tremendously well after all these years.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
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
His hair is gelled in his messy style, and he’s freshly shaved.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
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
The gummy section covers various gelling agents like gelatin, agar agar, pectin and tapioca starch.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2022
But seaweed-derived gelling agents such as carrageenan and agar, Dr. Gravelle added, don’t offer the same luxe texture and broad spectrum of uses as their animal-derived counterparts.
From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
A palpable sense of optimism might finally be taking root on a team that showed distinct signs of gelling following a year of upheaval and overhaul.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2022
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 Stull, Bertram O.
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.
