gala

noun ga·la \ ˈgā-lə , ˈga- , ˈgä- \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 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

Hathaway, who dons the pricey piece of jewelry to the fashion gala, is the target.

— morgan m. evans, Fox News, "Anne Hathaway and Stephen Colbert poke fun at the star's cheesy first-ever commercial," 25 May 2018
So heading into last night’s gala, the smart money was on Rihanna riding in on the Popemobile (not too far removed from what happened) and the men making small nods at the theme.

— cam wolf, GQ, "At the Met Gala, Menswear Finally Gave Us Something to Talk About," 9 May 2018
She was spotted on her way to gala, with Christian Louboutin by her side, in the robe, a pair of sunglasses, and some stunning heels.

— chelsea stone, Glamour, "Blake Lively's Met Gala 2018 Dress Took Over 600 Hours to Make," 7 May 2018
The tables are sold for a fraction of the price that is customary at such galas, likely in order to allow government officials to purchase them without breaking rules.

— danielle tcholakian, Longreads, "End the White House Correspondents’ Dinner," 29 Apr. 2018
Idaho Latino Scholarship Foundation’s fundraising gala.

— michelle jenkins, idahostatesman, "April showers us with fresh produce, jazz and laughs | Idaho Statesman," 31 Mar. 2018
The Civic's annual online auction, which runs concurrently with the gala, is live now and will run through 9 p.m. Saturday, April 7.

— jennifer conn, akron reporter, cleveland.com, "Akron Civic Theatre working to raise $1.6 million for Grand Lobby renovation," 30 Mar. 2018
Auctions at galas can be tedious but not at the sixth annual Champions of Jewish Values International Awards Gala, held Thursday night at New York’s Plaza Hotel.

— amanda l gordon, Bloomberg.com, "Steven Mnuchin, Caitlyn Jenner and a Rabbi Walk Into an Auction," 9 Mar. 2018
Figure Skating Gala, Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC Saturday’s primetime coverage will showcase the day’s speed skating events, the four-man bobsled, and the figure skating gala, marking your last chance to watch Olympic figure skating until 2022.

— kathryn lundstrom, SI.com, "Saturday Daily Olympic Digest: A New Definition of 'Shustering'," 24 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