gale

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noun \ ˈgāl \

Definition of gale

1 a :a strong current of air:

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

(2) :fresh gale — see Beaufort Scale Table

b archaic :breeze

2 :an emotional outburst

gales of laughter

See gale defined for English-language learners

See gale defined for kids

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 of gale from the Web

Gales took off and scored on a 10-yard run on the final play of the second quarter.

— lamond pope, Lake County News-Sun, "Dyshawn Gales thrives on offense and defense as North Chicago beats Waukegan," 27 Aug. 2017
The grandiose plans McGregor envisioned of disrupting the boxing universe collapsed like a house of straws overtaken by gale force winds.

— by santos a. perez, miamiherald, "After beating Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather says he’s retiring from boxing — again," 27 Aug. 2017
Even before Charlottesville, Trump faced gale-force skepticism from the Millennial generation.

— ronald brownstein, The Atlantic, "How Trump's Reaction to Charlottesville Threatens the GOP," 17 Aug. 2017
Our first gale (and Yilmaz’s skilled steering) brought us to the Nisyros, home to just over a 1000 residents and one brooding active volcano, Polyvotis.

— imogen rowland, CNT, "Why Greece Is Best Seen by Boat," 13 Aug. 2017
Midterm losses by his party, however mild, remain a virtual certainty, but an economic downturn could turn an adverse breeze into gale force winds pretty quickly.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "July Jobs Report: 2017 Looking Exactly Like 2016," 4 Aug. 2017
The potential for high seas and gale force winds exists through Thursday.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Gulf Shores officials on Tropical Storm Cindy: Stay out of the water or face jail, fines," 21 June 2017
The latter's relentless, rhythmic drive apparently inspired Bunnett to push hard on soprano saxophone via gales of sound, unconventional harmony and ample technical feats.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Jane Bunnett and Maqueque celebrate music of Cuba," 16 June 2017
Hang on to your comb-over because the theatrical Trump storm is now approaching gale force.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: Can Trump Survive in Caesar’s Palace?," 9 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of gale

of obscure origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1547

See Words from the same year

gale Synonyms

Synonyms

agony, blaze, burst, ebullition, eruption, explosion, fit, flare, flare-up, flash, flush, outburst, gush, gust, paroxysm, spasm, storm

Related Words

blowup, grouch, rage, tantrum; ecstasy, rapture, transport; delirium, firestorm, frenzy, furor

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

Gale

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biographical name \ ˈgāl \

Definition of Gale

Zona 1874–1938 American novelist

GALE Defined for English Language Learners

gale

play

noun

Definition of gale for English Language Learners

: a very strong wind
: a sudden occurrence of laughter, tears, etc.

GALE Defined for Kids

gale

play

noun \ ˈgāl \

Definition of gale for Students

1 :a strong wind

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

3 :an outburst of amusement

gales of laughter

Learn More about gale

See words that rhyme with gale Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gale Spanish Central: Translation of gale Nglish: Translation of gale for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of gale for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gale

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Examples of gale in a Sentence

Recent Examples of gale from the Web

Origin and Etymology of gale

gale Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

Gale

Definition of Gale

GALE Defined for English Language Learners

gale

Definition of gale for English Language Learners

GALE Defined for Kids

gale

Definition of gale for Students

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