gall

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈgȯl 

1

: brazen boldness often with brash self-confidence : nerve, effrontery

I can't believe she said that! What gall!

… the chutzpah, the unmitigated gall, the boldness of these guys …

—Anthony M. Amore, quoted in Toronto Star (online)

… the sheer gall and effrontery of the genuine … grifter …

—Lucy Mangan

—usually used in the phrase have the gall

Once again he has the gall to blame the Press he hates for reporting what he and his wife have said.

—Robert Jobson

(humorous) … the head coach had the gall to suggest his poorly performing team was performing poorly.

—Cathal Kelly

When caught red-handed, don't have the gall (or stupidity) to try to deny it.

—Jane Moore

Our society has a propensity for covertly liking the "unlikeable". Maybe it's because we appreciate those who do and say things we don't have the gall to put forth ourselves …

—Adam Ramos

2

: bile sense 1a

especially : ox gall

3

a

: something bitter to endure

… Ed McBain's new 87th Precinct police procedural, whose dark plot of romantic betrayal and legal injustice comes laced with the bitter gall of irony.

—Marilyn Stasio

b

: bitterness of spirit : rancor

He seemed to be full of hatred and gall against every thing and every body in the world …

—Herman Melville

gall

2 of 4

verb

galled; galling; galls

transitive verb

1

: irritate, vex

sarcasm galls her

2

: to fret and wear away by friction : chafe

the loose saddle galled the horse's back

the galling of a metal bearing

intransitive verb

1

: to become sore or worn by rubbing

2

: seize sense 2

gall

3 of 4

noun (2)

: an abnormal outgrowth of plant tissue usually due to insect or mite parasites or fungi and sometimes forming an important source of tannin see gall wasp illustration

gall

4 of 4

noun (3)

1

a

: a skin sore caused by chronic irritation

b

: a cause or state of exasperation

2

archaic : flaw

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• hostility
• grudge
• bitterness
• hatred

Verb

• wear
• erode
• rub
• fray

Choose the Right Synonym for gall

temerity, audacity, hardihood, effrontery, nerve, cheek, gall, chutzpah mean conspicuous or flagrant boldness.

temerity suggests boldness arising from rashness and contempt of danger.

had the temerity to refuse

audacity implies a disregard of restraints commonly imposed by convention or prudence.

an entrepreneur with audacity and vision

hardihood suggests firmness in daring and defiance.

admired for her hardihood

effrontery implies shameless, insolent disregard of propriety or courtesy.

outraged at his effrontery

nerve, cheek, gall, and chutzpah are informal equivalents for effrontery.

the nerve of that guy

has the cheek to call herself a singer

had the gall to demand proof

the chutzpah needed for a career in show business

Examples of gall in a Sentence

Noun (1)

her kindly feelings turned to gall when she found out her nephew only wanted her money

I can't believe he had the gall to ask me how much I weigh

Verb

It galls me that such a small group of people can have so much power.

move that rope so the sharp edge of the hull doesn't gall it

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Ignoring the reason Fernandes Anderson won’t be back to join her former colleagues made for some moments of head-smacking irony and sheer gall. —Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025

Queen, not yet a high school upperclassman, showed some gall. —Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 25 June 2025

Verb

Russia’s and China’s inability to provide their Iranian ally with any practical backing during the war stands in stark contrast to the U.S. and Israel and is particularly galling for Iran because of its strong support for the Kremlin during Russia’s war in Ukraine. —Chuck Freilich, Twin Cities, 27 June 2025

There was a time when Karen Weekly, sandpaper-tough former litigator, would’ve been galled by gyrations for social media’s sake. —Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English galle, going back to Old English gealla, galla, going back to Germanic *gallōn-, galla- (whence Old High German & Old Saxon galla, Old Norse gall), going back to Indo-European *ǵholh₃-n- (whence, without the suffix, Greek cholḗ "bile, bitter hatred," chólos "bitter hatred, wrath," Avestan zāra- "bile"), a derivative of *ǵhelh₃- "green, yellow" — more at yellow entry 1

Note: The sense "boldness," first attested in the U.S. in the second half of the 19th century, is perhaps of independent origin.

Verb

Middle English gallen, in part derivative of galle gall entry 4, in part borrowed from Middle French galer "to scratch, rub, mount an attack on," derivative of gale "gallnut, callus," borrowed from Latin galla gall entry 3

Noun (2)

Middle English galle, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin galla "gallnut, oak apple," of obscure origin

Note: Latin galla cannot be akin to gall entry 4 if the latter does in fact descend from Indo-European *ǵholH-, and in any case the basic meaning of galla appears to be "excrescence" rather than "sore, blight."

Noun (3)

Middle English galle "sore on the skin, stain, evil, barren or wet spot in a field (in names)," probably in part going back to Anglian Old English *galla (West Saxon gealla) "sore on the skin of a horse," in part borrowed from Middle Low German galle "swelling in a joint, blastodisc, barren place," both nouns going back to Germanic *gallan- (whence also Old Norse galli "fault, flaw"), perhaps going back to an Indo-European base *ǵholH-, whence, from the derivative *ǵholH-r-, Norwegian galder "windgall," Old Irish galar "disease, pain," Welsh galar "mourning, grief"

Note: Perhaps additionally connected are Lithuanian žalà "harm, damage" (from *ǵholH-eh₂), Hittite kallar "nefarious thing, demon" (from *ǵholH-ro-), Old Church Slavic zŭlŭ "bad, evil" (from zero-grade *ǵhlH-o-). According to an older hypothesis the Germanic words are a borrowing from Latin galla "gallnut, oak apple" (see gall entry 3), but given the wide distribution and range of meanings of the Germanic words, this appears unlikely.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing gall

• crown gall
• gall midge
• gall mite
• have the gall
• ox gall
• sheer gall
• unmitigated gall

Rhymes for gall

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• brawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• doll
• drawl
• fall

Kids Definition

gall

1 of 4 noun

ˈgȯl 

1

a

: bile sense 1

b

: something hard to endure

c

: ill will

2

: nerve sense 3c

gall

2 of 4 noun

1

: a skin sore (as on a horse's back) caused by repeated irritation (as from rubbing by a saddle)

2

: a cause or state of aggravation

gall

3 of 4 verb

1

: to make or become sore or worn by rubbing

2

: irritate sense 1, vex

sarcasm galls her

gall

4 of 4 noun

: an abnormal growth of plant tissue usually due to fungi or insect parasites

Etymology

Noun

Old English gealla "bile"

Noun

Old English gealla "skin sore," from Latin galla "plant gall"

Noun

Middle English galle "a swelling on a plant, plant gall," from early French galle (same meaning), from Latin galla "plant gall"

Medical Definition

gall

1 of 4 noun

ˈgȯl 

: bile sense 1

especially : ox gall

gall

2 of 4 noun

: a skin sore caused by chronic irritation

gall

3 of 4 transitive verb

: to rub and wear away by friction : chafe

the loose saddle galled the horse's back

gall

4 of 4 noun

: a swelling of plant tissue usually due to fungi or insect parasites and sometimes forming an important source of tannin