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 engineers and designers created unique spaces, including the sundeck, which has a fire pit, hot tub, and a bar/galley with al-fresco dining that can be customized. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2025

Near the border of East Elmhurst, this spacious two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath apartment with 975 square feet had three exposures, a dishwasher in the galley kitchen and five closets. —Dan Levin, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Weighing 1,400 pounds, the trailer features a queen-size sleeping area and a galley kitchen with upper cabinets, customizable pull-out drawers, sink, cooler and refrigerator options. —Mars King, Twin Cities, 30 Sep. 2025

About a half hour after takeoff, an oven in the Boeing 737-800's forward galley caught on fire. —Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025

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