gal
1 Americannoun
noun
abbreviation
abbreviation
abbreviation
abbreviation
abbreviation
noun
noun
Sensitive Note
See girl.
Etymology
Origin of gal1
First recorded in 1785–95; originally, a dialectal pronunciation of girl
Origin of gal2
First recorded in 1910–15; named after Galileo
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In September 2023 the NRA approved Chubu Electric's estimate of 1,200 gal, a unit of acceleration used to measure the intensity of quakes.
From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026
Testing showed that he had indeed been sensitized to alpha gal.
From Science Daily • Dec. 17, 2025
L.A. was the place where this Motown gal believed her dreams of new beginnings with happy endings could come true.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2025
I was always a little community theater gal when I was younger.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2024
“We’ve got a new arrival. This is Ruby, folks. Six hundred pounds of fun to save our sorry butts. This gal is gonna sell us some tickets.”
From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.