gale

noun

ˈgāl 

1

a

: a strong current of air

especially, technically : a wind from 32 to 63 miles per hour (about 51 to 102 kilometers per hour)

b

archaic, literary : a weak or mild current of air : breeze

… having easy gales from the W.S.W. …

—Daniel Defoe

Oh, Heaven! the soft refreshing gale / It breathes into my breast!

—Henry Kirke White

2

: an emotional outburst

gales of laughter

Synonyms of gale

• explosion
• burst
• gust
• outburst
• eruption
• flash
• blaze
• storm

Examples of gale in a Sentence

The boat was damaged in a strong gale.

The winds approached gale force.

The audience erupted in gales of laughter.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just over two weeks later, a storm with gale-force winds struck, and Halliburton, his partner Paul Mooney, and roughly 12 crewmen disappeared without a trace. — Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2026

Our arrival in the Madawaska River country of eastern Ontario, near Combermere, was noteworthy only for the snow flurries and marrow-chilling gales that howled down from Hudson Bay to greet us. — Harry H. Edel, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026

The blaze raged through pine forests and scrubland through the weekend, whipped by gale force winds that often prevented water-dropping planes from operating. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Winds cripple aerial firefighting Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft were deployed, but gale-force winds drove flames through dry forest and crippled the response, preventing some aircraft from reaching the sea to collect water. — Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

of obscure origin

First Known Use

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing gale

• fresh gale
• moderate gale
• near gale
• strong gale
• whole gale

Rhymes for gale

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

gale

noun

ˈgā(ə)l 

1

: a strong current of air

especially : a wind of from 32 to 63 miles (about 51 to 101 kilometers) per hour

2

: an emotional outburst

gales of laughter

Biographical Definition

Gale

biographical name

ˈgāl 

Zona 1874–1938 American novelist