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

Desperately trying to feed a galloping Zack Greinke on the way to cover first base, Walker just couldn’t get the ball out of his glove. — Richard Morin, azcentral, "Zack Greinke shuts down Nationals as Diamondbacks open series with win," 13 June 2019 The horse was galloping during a morning training session at the track in Arcadia when it was injured, the board said. — Cheri Mossburg And Steve Almasy, CNN, "Another racehorse dies after an injury at Santa Anita Park," 6 June 2019 The The pace of growth of the Bay Area job market galloped well ahead of the rate of expansion for the California employment sector. — George Avalos, The Mercury News, "Bay Area, California running out of people to hire: forecast," 5 June 2019 Velazquez was uninjured, and the riderless Bodexpress galloped on, running slightly wide of the other horses the full 1 3/16-mile distance before being corralled by an outrider after doubling back. — Liz Clarke, The Seattle Times, "At the center of Kentucky Derby controversy, War of Will is vindicated with victory in Preakness Stakes," 18 May 2019 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Justify has galloped at Churchill Downs in front of trainer Bob Baffert as the Triple Crown hopeful trains for the Belmont Stakes. — baltimoresun.com, "Triple Crown hopeful Justify gallops for Baffert in training for Belmont Stakes," 28 May 2018 At 7000 rpm, where all of the Bullitt's 480 ponies gallop at once, the noise belted through the active exhaust is riveting enough to excuse the driver's McQueen cosplaying. — Car and Driver, "2019 10Best Cars," 28 Nov. 2018 Coleman told The Everton Show that Walcott, Everton's January signing from Arsenal, will add sufficient offensive power down the Toffees' right hand side of attack to provide Coleman with extra space to gallop into and exploit in the wide areas. — SI.com, "Seamus Coleman Relishing Wing Partnership With Theo Walcott on Everton's New-Look Right Flank," 20 Apr. 2018 Bernardo O’Higgins, a hero of Chilean independence, is commemorated on horseback in a Santiago square, while Simón Bolívar gallops in Lima and José San Martín rears up in Buenos Aires. — Jason Farago, New York Times, "How Latin America Was Built, Before Modernism Came Along," 18 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Burgess’ one-trick pony gallops haltingly, and a modest staging by Dark & Stormy Productions does little to bring it winningly across the wire. — Dominic P. Papatola, Twin Cities, "Review: Dark & Stormy’s ‘Dry Powder’ is a one-trick pony that gallops haltingly," 7 June 2019 The only thing that threatened him on Tuesday was a couple of loose horses on the track during a morning gallop, but War of Will didn't seem to notice. — Tom Canavan, Houston Chronicle, "Tacitus favored in Belmont over Preakness winner Will of War," 4 June 2019 Preakness winner War of Will had an eventful gallop Tuesday in advance of the Belmont Stakes. — Gentry Estes, The Courier-Journal, "Morning Coffee: Picks for the NCAA Super Regionals, including Louisville baseball vs. ECU," 3 June 2019 Advertising Since various reforms involving race-day medication and safety were instituted on March 15, The Stronach Group said there’d been more than 80,000 gallops during training with no fatalities. — Stephen Whyno, The Seattle Times, "Santa Anita monitoring safety after latest fatality," 18 May 2019 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

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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