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
These bites can cause the immune system to become sensitive to alpha gal, a sugar naturally found in meat from mammals.
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
“You peoples in plenty trouble. A po-lice already lookin for that freak. He come in the Night of Joy one night, star tellin this Darlene gal about a bus.”
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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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.