galley

noun

gal·​ley ˈga-lē 

plural galleys

1

: a ship or boat propelled solely or chiefly by oars: such as

a

: a long low ship used for war and trading especially in the Mediterranean Sea from the Middle Ages to the 19th century

also : galleass

b

: a warship of classical antiquity compare bireme, trireme

c

: a large open boat (such as a gig) formerly used in England

2

: the kitchen and cooking apparatus especially of a ship or airplane

3

a

: an oblong tray to hold especially a single column of set type

b

: a proof of typeset matter especially in a single column before being made into pages

Illustration of galley

• galley 1a

Examples of galley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The destroyer was left withough functioning toilets, air conditioning, galley services or reliable drinking water. — Alexx Altman-Devilbiss, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026

Motsmann The tailgate galley below the tall vertical lift-gate comes empty, offering a full-width countertop and lower and upper storage cabinetry. — New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026

Besides losing the ability to maneuver on its own, the almost 10,000-ton warship saw its galley services, toilets, air conditioning and potable water impacted, Comer said. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Our weekly staff meeting looked like the galley between races at OTB — one person’s in a suit, another is in yesterday’s clothes and hasn’t been to bed. — Jeff Rabhan, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English galeie, galey, borrowed from Anglo-French galee, galeie (continental Old French galee, galie), borrowed (probably in part via Upper Italian dialects) from Middle Greek galéa, after galéa "the shark Galeorhinus galeus," probably re-formation of Greek galeós, a name for the same fish, of uncertain origin

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing galley

• galley-west

Rhymes for galley

• alley
• alli
• bally
• calli
• challis
• dally
• galli
• lally
• mallee
• mally
• rally
• salley

Kids Definition

galley

noun

gal·​ley ˈgal-ē 

plural galleys

1

: a large low ship of olden times moved by oars and sails

2

: the kitchen especially of a ship or airplane