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
The weather in Wales was terrible, with snow and freezing temperatures and Arctic gales.
—
Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gales
Noun
-
Videos recorded by passengers show sparks and bursts of flame coming from the engine, lighting up the night sky as the aircraft gained altitude.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The Poison frontman, evoking the regional dialect of his native Pittsburgh, bursts with adrenaline on a typical day.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Authorities reinforced security around Jewish sites in the wake of explosions last month outside synagogues in Liege, Belgium, and the Dutch port city of Rotterdam and outside a Jewish school in Amsterdam.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The special effects supervisor on a movie set is responsible for designing and executing practical, in-camera effects such as explosions, pyrotechnics, rigs, and atmospheric elements.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sustained, strong winds with even stronger gusts are happening.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Northwest winds will keep a chill in the air, with gusts reaching 20 to 25 mph downtown and up to 30 mph near the water and atop Twin Peaks.—
Greg Porter,
San Francisco Chronicle,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Trump’s outbursts bespoke the frustration of a thoroughly incompetent ruler who began a war with no plan for how to conduct or conclude it and was unprepared for Iran’s resistance.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
-
It’s been nearly two months since the BAFTA Film Awards were upended by a series of profoundly upsetting outbursts during the February ceremony.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Home to the volcanic eruptions that have been hitting headlines since 2023, the country’s geothermal power is on full display.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Samples returned during the Apollo missions have linked this to higher concentrations of heat-producing radioactive elements such as thorium, whose decay likely fueled ancient volcanic eruptions, while much of the rest of the moon remained comparatively cooler.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Women suffering through the hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes and sleep problems that can come with menopause — all while looking in the mirror and noticing signs of aging — are being bombarded with products.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Missouri showed flashes of becoming a competitive SEC team, particularly on offensively, but struggled to sustain success against deeper opponents.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As for where the strongest storms will be, Hinton said forecast models point to closer to the coastline.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
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Their frames carry the weight of storms, salt air and centuries.—
Reginald David,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gales. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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