galls

present tense third-person singular of gall
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2
3
as in irritates
to make sore by continued rubbing tie your shoes so they don't gall your heels sliding on and off like that

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 galls What galls them is Toberoff’s tooth-and-nail negotiations and his insistence on becoming a producer himself, complete with credit and fees. Tom Dotan, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026 What especially galls Marion is having eight touchdowns called back this season. Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for galls
Verb
  • Granted, save for one image on a TV screen, no one wears a Green Lantern mask or outfit in the Lanterns pilot, but the wheels of its story have been in motion for decades by the time its premise unfolds.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Sadie Sink plays Jean Grey as a Gen Zer malcontent who wears a hoodie and whose affect suggests a steady diet of Sylvia Plath.
    Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Repel Mice Ultrasonic mouse repellers emit high-frequency sound waves that humans can’t hear, but the high pitch bothers mice.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2026
  • My concern is what happens when the signal becomes so established that nobody bothers separating it from the qualities it was supposed to represent.
    Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The capsaicin in hot peppers irritates pests and deters them from feeding on plants.
    Farima Ferguson, The Spruce, 15 July 2026
  • Anyone who has sat through a mandatory team-building exercise knows the difference between a ritual that binds and a program that irritates.
    Julia Dhar, Time, 11 July 2026
Verb
  • The high-pressure stream erodes the lighter-colored soft spring wood that’s found between the dark grain bands of summer-wood.
    Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Once the decision is made, continuing to relitigate it creates confusion, erodes trust, and slows execution.
    Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Hotel-booking platform HotelTonight surveyed 447 of its American adult users in June about what annoys them the most during travel.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 21 July 2026
  • But Turner is a symbol for everything that annoys people about the Phillies.
    Matt Gelb, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Verb
  • But as his guitar scratches away at Stewart’s velvet synths and glances off Mitchell’s drums, sing Reilly does.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
  • Preparing for a college football Saturday with ACC Network scratches the same gameplanning itch for Fisher that used to take up his time during his more than three decades as a coach.
    David Ubben, New York Times, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • Conjuring the troubled inner life of a young, successful Buenos Aires fashion designer with an uncommon mix of stylistic rigor and feeling, the film frays your nerves.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
  • The coalition of supporters frays Still another issue is conflict within the legalization movement itself, particularly between the business and activist wings.
    William Garriott, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Not too much bugs him, but he sometimes is annoyed by his baby sister and doesn’t trust people who put pineapple on their pizza.
    Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Lift sheets, curtains and cushions to check for bed bugs or signs of bed bugs before settling in.
    Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Galls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/galls. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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