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

Sarah Jessica Parker and Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff hosted a luncheon gala on Monday to celebrate 25 years of New 42 Studios, the rehearsal studios at the epicenter of the Broadway industry. —Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025

Jeff Bezos, Yuri Milner, Sam Altman—listed like celebrity donors at a gala. —Sindhya Valloppillil, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Taking Punk to the Masses exhibit after 14 years, with a farewell gala planned for September 6. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2025

The gala, which is an annual fundraiser supporting TIFF‘s core mission of cinema’s transformative power in real life, honored the outstanding impact of leading industry members. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 7 Sep. 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