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

There are several kitchen layout options out there; some, like galley kitchens better suit smaller homes and apartments, and others, like the double-island setup, require ample square footage but might work best for a large family and lots of meal prep. —Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 3 Mar. 2026

At this point, every crew member helping with service is standing in the galley, waiting to take up a plate, which only adds to the circus. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026

The slide-out in the nose box next to the primary galley houses a fridge/freezer of up to 90 liters, and those wanting more cold storage can add a second fridge slide in place of the drawer stack on the stove/sink slide-out. —New Atlas, 2 Mar. 2026

The kitchen is a sterile-looking galley with a pass-through; the bathroom leans heavy on the marble, but the vanity is nice. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 23 Feb. 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