gallop

verb

gal·lop | \ ˈga-ləp

galloped; galloping; gallops

Definition of gallop

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to progress or ride at a gallop

2 : to run fast

transitive verb

1 : to cause to gallop

2 : to transport at a gallop

gallop

noun

Definition of gallop (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a bounding gait of a quadruped specifically : a fast natural usually 4-beat gait of the horse — compare canter entry 3, run

2 : a ride or run at a gallop

3 : a stretch of land suitable for galloping horses

4 : a rapid or hasty progression or pace

Other Words from gallop Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about gallop

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Synonyms for gallop

Synonyms: Verb

dash, jog, run, scamper, sprint, trip, trot

Examples of gallop in a Sentence

Verb

The horse galloped toward us. He mounted his horse and galloped off to sound the alarm. She galloped her horse toward us. I grabbed my books and galloped out the door. The program gallops through early American history.

Noun

The horse was at full gallop. He mounted his horse and took off at a gallop. We went for a gallop through the countryside.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Man o’ War, often considered the greatest racehorse of all time, grew up in Maryland, grazing on the sweet Eastern Shore grass and galloping on the sandy tracks at the expansive Glen Riddle Farm near Ocean City. — Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, "Man o' War grew up, trained in Maryland for a Hall of Fame career," 14 May 2018 To make the surface suitable for the hooves of galloping horses, the stunt team laid down three different layers of material. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "How They Pulled Off the Chase Scene in 'Robin Hood'," 30 Nov. 2018 Death Eaters take out key structural supports, causing the bridge to gallop and twist, and the resulting feedback loop gets so strong that a center portion of the bridge collapses. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "New study sheds more light on what caused Millennium Bridge to wobble," 30 Oct. 2018 Sagittarians learn through experience, so once something sparks their interest, these celestial archers are ready to gallop (fittingly, the centaur is Sagittarius' mythological correspondence). — Allure, "How the Sun's Position In Your Birth Chart Affects Your Zodiac Sign," 14 Aug. 2018 The Queen reportedly went at a stately pace (only fitting of course), while Prince Edward was galloping around the grounds, according to the Daily Mail. — Elizabeth Angell, Town & Country, "Prince Edward and Queen Elizabeth Went for a Mother-Son Ride Around Windsor This Weekend," 19 Nov. 2018 Those undulations snapped one of the suspension cables, so the bridge was lopsided and began twisting along its center axis along with the galloping motion. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "New study sheds more light on what caused Millennium Bridge to wobble," 30 Oct. 2018 Over in Mongolia, Three Camel Lodge’s traditional felt yurts are served by the only airport in the province and have views of the Gobi Desert, where herds of horses gallop across the steppe (travel with Nomadic Expeditions). — Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "Where to Go When You Just Want to Be Alone," 7 Sep. 2018 Analysts said the move would do little to cure Turkey’s acute financial problems, which range from galloping inflation to growing fears that the nation’s banks and corporations won’t be able to cope with hefty foreign-currency debt. — David Gauthier-villars, WSJ, "Turkish Lira Weakens as Central Bank Fails to Assuage Investors," 29 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

This is the kind of show that gets your heart racing—that starts at a trot and builds almost immediately to a gallop. — Lance Esplund, WSJ, "‘Devotion to Drawing: The Karen B. Cohen Collection of Eugène Delacroix’ Review: A Master off the Canvas," 14 Aug. 2018 Triple Crown hopeful Justify gallops around the track during a workout at Belmont Park on Thursday. — Jim Chairusmi, WSJ, "Justify’s Triple Crown Hopes Come Down to the Start," 7 June 2018 Then there are the graphical touches: the tightening skin of a horse as its muscles swell to prep for full gallop; the crisp blades of prairie grasses between which flit all manner of varmints. — Daniel Starkey, Ars Technica, "Red Dead Redemption II review: Getting muddy in the wide-open frontier," 25 Oct. 2018 The Icelandic horse has two gaits in addition to the typical walk, trot and canter/gallop seen in other breeds. — Liz Dufour, USA TODAY, "WOW Air stopover: Photos of 82 hours in Iceland," 25 May 2018 Closer, the buildings of a stable: An array of paths, horse gallops, stretch toward me. — Peter Rock, New York Times, "On the Unsettling Allure of ‘Watership Down’," 15 May 2018 Sam Upshaw, Louisville Courier Journal Five days after his Preakness triumph, Justify returned to the track for the first time Thursday with a light gallop at Churchill Downs. — Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, "Justify shows 'good bounce' in return to training for Belmont 2018," 24 May 2018 The Derby and Kentucky Oaks contenders were already gone, so the crowd's attention was elsewhere as Fierro gently nudged his horse to the rail and began to work into a gallop. — Danielle Lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Churchill Downs exercise rider uses horses as 'therapy' to beat cancer," 3 May 2018 The golfers are not too far into their round when a father-and-son twosome on an adjoining fairway spots the distinctive Clinton white mane and begins a headlong gallop toward the group, only to be intercepted by a Secret Service agent. — Jack Mccallum, SI.com, "The President Is Golfing," 27 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gallop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for gallop

Verb

Middle English galopen, walopen, borrowed from Anglo-French galoper, gualoper (Picard dialect waloper), perhaps going back to Old Low Franconian *wala hlaupan, literally "to run well," from *wala "well, with good appearance or effect" (going back to Germanic *welō) + *hlaupan "to run," going back to Germanic *hlaup-a- — more at well entry 3, leap entry 1

Note: An alternative explanation sees the Old French noun as primary, and derived from Old Low Franconian *walhlaup-, from *wal- "battlefield" and *hlaup-, a nominal derivative of *hlaupan (hence alluding to a warriorʼs manner of riding on the battlefield). Though the meaning of the first noun is reflected in Old High German wal "battlefield," the general meaning of the Germanic etymon is "the slain, the dead in battle" (see valhalla).

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Anglo-French galop, noun derivative of galoper "to gallop entry 1"; replacing Middle English walop, borrowed from Anglo-French walop, galop

Note: Alternatively, the noun could be original, and the verb a derivative of the noun. See note at gallop entry 1.

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