gala

noun ga·la \ ˈgā-lə , ˈga- , ˈgä- \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 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

Then at age 17, in 1999, Lang Lang was flipping through a music magazine at the Rittenhouse Square Barnes & Noble store, eyeing a concert listing for a gala at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, and dreaming about playing there.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Lang Lang's recovery: Will he ever play in Philly again?," 12 July 2018
Omg kim you’re beautiful sis but did the same guy who did Selena’s makeup for the MET gala do your makeup?

— zoë weiner, Teen Vogue, "Kim Kardashian's Spray Tan Gets Compared to Selena Gomez at the 2018 Met Gala," 10 July 2018
The youthful president-elect, Bill Clinton, looking dashing in his tux, glided onto the stage for a gala on the eve of his inauguration, joined by his wife and daughter, and then Al and Tipper Gore.

— neil swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "How Democrats would be better off if Bill Clinton had never been president," 10 July 2018
Then, in 2013, the Trump Foundation paid $5,000 to put an ad for Trump's hotel chain in the program for a charity gala.

— david a. fahrenthold, chicagotribune.com, "The four times Trump signed tax returns for his foundation that contained incorrect information," 22 June 2018
Documents obtained by Courier Journal through open records laws show that the city's budget office used only one of the $2,500 expenditures for the Derby gala.

— phillip m. bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Investigation continues into Derby spending by Metro Council Democrat," 21 June 2018
The foundation also paid $10,000 to buy a portrait of him that was later found hanging in a sports bar at one of his golf resorts and another $5,000 to put an ad for Trump hotels in the program for a charity gala.

— emily stewart, Vox, "Trump says Trump Foundation lawsuit is “ridiculous”," 14 June 2018
Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone will serve as honorary chairperson for the awards gala.

— gail mitchell, Billboard, "Epic's Sylvia Rhone, Roc Nation's Azim Rashid to Chair Living Legends Awards Gala," 7 June 2018
The celebrity auctioneer for the evening gala was KNBC weatherman Fritz Coleman.

— carol cormaci, latimes.com, "La Cañada History: Man suffers serious burns after fire breaks out at his Gould Avenue home," 4 June 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