gala

noun

ga·​la ˈgā-lə  ˈga-  ˈgä- 

1

: a festive celebration

especially : a public entertainment marking a special occasion

2

Gala : a medium-sized apple with crisp yellowish-white sweet flesh and a red skin or a golden skin with red striping

gala adjective

Synonyms of gala

• celebration
• festival
• festivity

Examples of gala in a Sentence

a grand gala celebrating the town's centennial

attended the gala celebrating the reopening of the museum

Recent Examples on the Web

One Battle After Another star Teyana Taylor attends the TIME100 gala as an Artists honoree. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025

And Marc Malkin has a Just for Variety Red Carpet Rundown with Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber from LACMA’s Art+Film gala. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025

On Sunday, Sweeney was dressed for the races instead of a gala. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025

The nonprofit is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a gala on November 4, hosted by longtime music artists and Nashville philanthropists Amy Grant and Vince Gill, at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. —Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, borrowed from Spanish, "elegance, pomp, occasion marked by display," borrowed from Middle French gale "festivity, pleasure" — more at gallant entry 1

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gala

• calla
• palla
• salah
• valla
• valhalla
• walhalla

Kids Definition

gala

noun

ga·​la ˈgā-lə  ˈgal-ə 

: a festive celebration

gala adjective