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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Also, some bursts showed strong circular polarization, a signal characteristic of magnetic processes.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
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Hulu has steadily built a library of bold, thought-provoking miniseries that have managed to entertain audiences in short bursts.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Flaring involves burning off residual vapors or gases in a safe manner to depressurize them and prevent explosions or accidents.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
-
On Saturday, Atallah Abu Hadaiyed heard explosions in Gaza City during his morning prayers and ran outside to find his cousins lying on the ground as flames curled around them.—
Sam Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Sustained, strong winds with even stronger gusts are happening.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2026
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Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.—
Cheryl Vari,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For his courtroom outbursts, Davis found Thompson in contempt of court and added a little more than four and a half years to his sentence.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
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An audience member was removed at one point for outbursts during remarks by commissioner Carrie Prejean, who rejected notions that anti-Zionism equates to antisemitism.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Solar flares are large eruptions of electromagnetic radiation from the sun, which could last from minutes to hours, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Kilauea’s eruptions are Pele’s movements.—
Tommy Orange,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Buoyed by last weekend’s second-half performance in their 2-2 draw with Manchester City, Spurs showed flashes of promise before their leader was sent off.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
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Blurry images of body-camera footage from the encounter, shared by the DA, show muzzle flashes and the suspect holding something in his hand noted to be a gun.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In 2020 and 2021, storms hit the Powers’ Yukon home.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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With these statistical corrections, researchers can more accurately predict how energy behaves in chaotic environments, such as during the formation of severe storms.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gales. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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