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

Past the first-class section, there’s a small galley kitchen, with a hot water boiler and sink, plus a luggage section where the giant cases and steamer trunks of the wealthy flyers were held in place by a flimsy piece of netting that must’ve been straining to hold them during times of turbulence. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025

The boat slammed down so violently at one point that the microwave door in the galley snapped off. —Terry Ward, CNN Money, 25 July 2025

The living room and bedroom are both large with beamed ceilings, and there’s a galley kitchen lined with warm-wood cabinetry and stainless-steel appliances. —Kim Velsey, Curbed, 17 June 2025

The main deck’s open-plan design connects the shaded cockpit lounge to the galley and forward salon via a clever up-down glass panel. —Katia Damborsky, Forbes.com, 13 June 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