as in bursts
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
the audience responded to the comedian's joke with gales of laughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gales
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
The storm, named Eowyn, brought gales to Ireland throughout Friday morning and afternoon, according to the Irish Meteorological Service.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Winter gales and ice were a constant threat.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 19 Dec. 2024
Nuclear power plants have increasingly been seen as a carbon pollution-free source of electricity that can fill in for solar and wind farms when the sun sets and gales weaken.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
Slowly the mystical land enters her inner world and – one day at a time – Rona finds hope and strength in herself among the heavy gales and the bracingly cold sea.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
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
The storm, named Eowyn, brought gales to Ireland throughout Friday morning and afternoon, according to the Irish Meteorological Service.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Winter gales and ice were a constant threat.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 19 Dec. 2024
Nuclear power plants have increasingly been seen as a carbon pollution-free source of electricity that can fill in for solar and wind farms when the sun sets and gales weaken.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
Slowly the mystical land enters her inner world and – one day at a time – Rona finds hope and strength in herself among the heavy gales and the bracingly cold sea.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gales
Noun
-
Available in Piña + Plumeria and Strawberry + Shea, these bold combos infuse your laundry with irresistible bursts of scent that last from wash to wear.—
Adam Mills,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
RDREs use a detonation wave that races around a circular channel, which produces short, high-pressure bursts that drive up thrust and efficiency.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Video footage from the area showed multiple large explosions in Gaza City on Tuesday as the IDF pressed its offensive.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Aside from heavy tanks and artillery firing salvos leading to big explosions and heavy smoke on the training area, infantry units also charged forward on motorcycles, quad bikes or on foot under the cover of drones.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Residents may experience wind gusts of up to 40 mph.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Residents can expect wind gusts of up to 40 mph.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Howard, a queen bee with a racy reputation, became a scene-stealer with her emotional outbursts and volatile friendship with Maddy (Alexa Demie).—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
With his natural charisma and naked emotion, Thug and Big Bank go all the way back to rapper’s childhood traumas (his apartment complex burning down, his older brother dying in front of him) to try to get to the bottom of his emotional outbursts.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As part of the new study, Knutsen and her team programmed Perseverance's cameras to watch the sky after solar eruptions known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) blasted in the direction of Mars.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Kamchatka sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic activity frequently triggers earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.—
Amanda Castro
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The result is less a rite of passage than a series of disconnected tableaux, dazzling in flashes but never adding up to anything deeper.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The rookie trio rewarded the coordinator with some individual flashes.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The typical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season has come and gone – and storms are still hard to come by, with only six reported so far this year.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Nevertheless, meteorologists are urging people to remain alert, as sea temperatures remain high and storms can still form well into October and even November.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gales. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share