public gallery

British

noun

Also called: strangers' gallery. the gallery in a chamber of Parliament reserved for members of the public who wish to listen to the proceedings

"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

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.

Chow, a lawyer who is representing herself, smiled at supporters who waved enthusiastically from the public gallery as the hearing began, while Lee sat quietly in the dock taking notes with a ballpoint pen.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

There he sat in the public gallery, Don Corleone-esque, daring the Supreme Court to find fault with his read on birthright citizenship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

As he sat in the front row of the courtroom’s public gallery, nobody mentioned him, even though his presence loomed large.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Someone else from the public gallery cried "yes".

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

In the public gallery every seat had been taken, yet the courtroom suggested nothing of the carnival atmosphere sometimes found at country murder trials.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023