gale

noun

ˈgāl 

1

a

: a strong current of air

especially, technically : a wind from 32 to 63 miles per hour (about 51 to 102 kilometers per hour)

b

archaic, literary : a weak or mild current of air : breeze

… having easy gales from the W.S.W. …

—Daniel Defoe

Oh, Heaven! the soft refreshing gale / It breathes into my breast!

—Henry Kirke White

2

: an emotional outburst

gales of laughter

Synonyms of gale

• explosion
• burst
• gust
• outburst
• eruption
• flash
• blaze
• storm

Examples of gale in a Sentence

The boat was damaged in a strong gale.

The winds approached gale force.

The audience erupted in gales of laughter.

Recent Examples on the Web

With unpredictable subpolar gales and zero heavy manufacturing on the island, a conventional build would have dragged out across four or five years. — Liam Hess, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

The gale warning has expired, but the small craft advisory remains in effect for boaters along the Atlantic waters and Keys waters. — Bri Buckley, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026

As the nor’easter began to take shape, gale-force winds began pushing water over hundreds of miles of the Atlantic toward the coast. — Brian Tang, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

Inland wind gusts could reach 25 to 30 mph, with gale-force gusts possible over the water. — Bridget Byrne, Baltimore Sun, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

of obscure origin

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing gale

• fresh gale
• moderate gale
• near gale
• strong gale
• whole gale

Rhymes for gale

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

gale

noun

ˈgā(ə)l 

1

: a strong current of air

especially : a wind of from 32 to 63 miles (about 51 to 101 kilometers) per hour

2

: an emotional outburst

gales of laughter

Biographical Definition

Gale

biographical name

ˈgāl 

Zona 1874–1938 American novelist