gala

noun ga·la \ ˈgā-lə , ˈga- , ˈgä- \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of gala

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

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gala

adjective

See gala defined for English-language learners

See gala defined for kids

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 of gala from the Web

The Marvel superhero film will receive a gala opening on April 18 in Saudi Arabia’s brand new AMC theater in Riyadh, the country’s capital, Variety reports.

— Time, "Black Panther Will Be the First Film Shown in Saudi Arabian Cinemas in 35 Years," 6 Apr. 2018
It is expected to open with a gala with more than 400 guests in attendance.

— ryan faughnder, latimes.com, "AMC plans up to 100 theaters in Saudi Arabia by 2030," 4 Apr. 2018
There are at least as many galas in New York as there are days in a year.

— todd plummer, Vogue, "Behind the Scenes of Tribeca Ball, One of New York’s Most Glamorous Galas," 3 Apr. 2018
He and Carlisle head to a stuffy gala with a sea of nametags on blue blazers.

— refinery29.com, "Billions Season 3 Premiere Recap: The Teaser & The Stud," 26 Mar. 2018
The winners will be presented the Carnegie Medal at a gala in June in Pittsburgh.

— Fox News, "Woman who helped officer subdue man among 18 Carnegie Heroes," 26 Mar. 2018
Anvil will compete with four other establishments across the country for the title, to be awarded at the Beard Foundation's annual gala in Chicago on May 7.

— alison cook, Houston Chronicle, "Houston chefs shut out in James Beard awards," 14 Mar. 2018
The event, which runs April 19-22, will include tours of historic tall ships, sailings on Lake Pontchartrain, a fireworks show on the Mississippi River and a black-tie gala onboard one of the visiting ships.

— jennifer larino, NOLA.com, "Meet the captains sailing tall ships into New Orleans in April," 6 Mar. 2018
The school celebrated its 10th anniversary in November at a celebratory gala.

— rexhavoc, AJC.com, "Ron Clark students embrace African culture after “Black Panther”," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gala.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gala

borrowed from French, borrowed from Spanish, "elegance, pomp, occasion marked by display," borrowed from Middle French gale "festivity, pleasure" — more at ²gallant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1777

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year