as in bursts
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
the audience responded to the comedian's joke with gales of laughter
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Recent Examples of gales
Out in the ferocious gales of the North Sea, on the overcrowded routes of the Irish Sea and the English Channel, and off to the islands’ west, the wide Atlantic herself.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
Such physical effects of wind are translatable; and so, most important of all, are the quarters from which the blasts or the breezes or the gales appear to come.
—Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025
Fifty years ago this month, the gales of November swallowed the SS Edmund Fitzgerald along with her crew of 29 men, one of the largest ships to go down on Lake Superior and the Great Lakes.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The threat of thunderstorms, gales, and violent lightning led to the cancellation of the final day of SailGP competition in Saint-Tropez.
—Andrew Rice, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Southern China also shuts down Southern China’s Hainan Island saw heavy rainfall and gales as the typhoon brushed past the island on Sunday.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 25 Aug. 2025
Strong winds were also a concern in areas where residents are accustomed to heavy rain, but not necessarily cyclone-strength gales.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
The front will have strong north to northeast winds behind it and prompt development of gales offshore of Tampico, Mexico through early Friday morning creating peak seas with 12- to 14-foot waves.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2025
Winter gales and ice were a constant threat.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 19 Dec. 2024
Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
Such physical effects of wind are translatable; and so, most important of all, are the quarters from which the blasts or the breezes or the gales appear to come.
—Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025
Fifty years ago this month, the gales of November swallowed the SS Edmund Fitzgerald along with her crew of 29 men, one of the largest ships to go down on Lake Superior and the Great Lakes.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
The threat of thunderstorms, gales, and violent lightning led to the cancellation of the final day of SailGP competition in Saint-Tropez.
—Andrew Rice, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Southern China also shuts down Southern China’s Hainan Island saw heavy rainfall and gales as the typhoon brushed past the island on Sunday.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 25 Aug. 2025
Strong winds were also a concern in areas where residents are accustomed to heavy rain, but not necessarily cyclone-strength gales.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
The front will have strong north to northeast winds behind it and prompt development of gales offshore of Tampico, Mexico through early Friday morning creating peak seas with 12- to 14-foot waves.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2025
Winter gales and ice were a constant threat.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 19 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gales
Noun
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In stronger bursts, faint glows may also appear low on the northern horizon in far northern parts of Wyoming, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Little bursts of dub delay flare without warning, kicking up dust devils; every now and then, the telltale sweep of the pitch-bend wheel flicks upward like a fast-rising tide and then, after a minute or two, falls back into place.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While Russian defense officials did not say where the Oreshnik hit this time, Ukrainian authorities on Friday reported several explosions and a ballistic missile strike in the western city of Lviv.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Test explosions became increasingly rare.—
Chicago Tribune,
Twin Cities,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Those low temperatures will be paired with clear skies, but also come with a brisk breeze of 10 mph with gusts of more than 20 mph, according to the weather service.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
15 Jan. 2026
-
When fishing from shore especially, open water means longer casts, and gusts can quickly expose underpowered setups.—
Francesca Krempa,
Outside,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In September 2025 the mission captured particularly extraordinary footage of three separate outbursts in just five hours.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
21 Jan. 2026
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In the present day, Muck crashes his dinner party with lewd outbursts and runs off with an old friend (Jack Farthing), who is later revealed to be a mirage of his late father.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
After analyzing data collected by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) in the Netherlands and India’s Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (uGMRT), researchers say there is undeniable evidence of multiple eruptions stretching deep into the universe’s past.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
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The project has yielded some certainties and if repeated will allow the analysis of changes that eventually will help authorities make better decisions when eruptions occur.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Tracy’s script skewers the hollow moral language of powerful corporate elites like Stone’s character, while also probing the anger and alienation driving Teddy and Don, treating their bonkers beliefs with both satire and unsettling flashes of emotional truth.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
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Those flickers or flashes were used to show intrusive thoughts or moments of wonder.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Fox notes winter is usually the slowest time of the year — except when there are storms.—
Nikki DeMentri,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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Southern states like Alabama and New Mexico already caught glimpses earlier this week, proving that stronger storms can defy expectations.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gales. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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