gallery

noun

gal·​lery ˈga-lə-rē 

ˈgal-rē

plural galleries

1

a

: a roofed promenade : colonnade

b

: corridor sense 1

2

a

: an outdoor balcony

b

Southern US and Midland US : porch, veranda

c

: a platform at the quarters or stern of a ship

3

a

: a long and narrow passage, apartment, or corridor

b

: a subterranean passageway in a cave or military mining system

also : a working drift or level in mining

c

: a passage made in wood by an insect (such as a beetle)

4

a

: a room or building devoted to the exhibition of works of art

b

: an institution or business exhibiting or dealing in works of art

c

: collection, aggregation

… the rich gallery of characters in this novel …

—H. S. Canby

5

a

: a structure projecting from one or more interior walls (as of an auditorium or church) to accommodate additional people

especially : the highest balcony in a theater commonly having the cheapest seats

b

: the part of a theater audience seated in the top gallery

c

: the undiscriminating general public

d

: the spectators at a sporting event (such as a tennis or golf match)

6

: a small ornamental barrier or railing (as along the edge of a table or shelf)

7

: a photographer's studio

galleried

ˈga-lə-rēd 

ˈgal-rēd

adjective

galleryite

ˈga-lə-rē-ˌīt 

ˈgal-rē-

noun

Synonyms of gallery

• museum

Examples of gallery in a Sentence

She owns a gallery downtown.

The movie features a gallery of weird characters.

Recent Examples on the Web

The sweet gallery opens with Rocki tugging at a large wig placed on her head as Rihanna can be heard laughing in the background. — Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 27 Sep. 2026

View gallery - 3 images A robotic suit that lets someone with a spinal-cord injury stand up, look a friend in the eye, or stir a pot on the stove without anyone's help just cleared its biggest hurdle. — New Atlas, 27 Sep. 2026

On the ground floor, a studio-slash-gallery will host designers, artists and all manner of creative talents in residency programs. — Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026

Established in 2016 by Carla Sozzani and Ruhs, to manage the Galleria Carla Sozzani art, fashion and design gallery which opened in 1990, Fondazione Sozzani has grown into a full-fledged cultural platform. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 26 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gallerie, borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin galeria, probably alteration (by dissimilation or suffix change) of galilea galilee

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing gallery

• fly gallery
• gallery forest
• peanut gallery
• play to the gallery
• press gallery
• shooting gallery

Rhymes for gallery

• calorie
• galerie
• mallory
• salary

Kids Definition

gallery

noun

gal·​lery ˈgal(-ə)-rē 

plural galleries

1

: an outdoor balcony

2

a

: a long narrow room, hall, or passage

b

: an underground passageway (as in a mine or cave)

c

: a passage (as in earth or wood) made by an animal and especially an insect

3

a

: a room or building devoted to the exhibition of works of art

b

: a business dealing in works of art

4

: a balcony in an auditorium

especially : the highest balcony in a theater or the people who sit there

play to the gallery

5

: a photographer's studio