gala

noun

ga·​la ˈgā-lə  ˈga-  ˈgä- 

1

: a festive celebration

especially : a public entertainment marking a special occasion

2

capitalized : a medium-sized apple with crisp yellowish-white sweet flesh and a red skin or a golden skin with red striping

gala adjective

Synonyms

• celebration
• festival
• festivity

Examples of gala in a Sentence

a grand gala celebrating the town's centennial

attended the gala celebrating the reopening of the museum

Recent Examples on the Web

After the Venice gala, Isaac will fly to Telluride to screen a secret documentary that involves him. —Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025

Palestine 36 will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival with a gala screening during the opening weekend on September 5. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2025

Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, the latest feature from Canadian filmmaker Alison Duke, will receive a gala screening at this year’s Trinidad+Tobago Film Festival. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2025

From the kick-off gala with a runway presentation from veteran Taos Pueblo designer Patricia Michaels to the annual Indigenous Fashion Show—featuring new couture collections from buzzy designers like Jamie Okuma and Jontay Kahm—there was plenty of style to take in. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, borrowed from Spanish, "elegance, pomp, occasion marked by display," borrowed from Middle French gale "festivity, pleasure" — more at gallant entry 1

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gala

• calla
• palla
• salah
• valla
• valhalla
• walhalla

Kids Definition

gala

noun

ga·​la ˈgā-lə  ˈgal-ə 

: a festive celebration

gala adjective