gal
noun
a term used to refer to a girl or woman.
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gal
1 American
[gal]
/ gæl /
noun
Informal: Sometimes Offensive.
gal
2
American
[gal]
/ gæl /
noun
gal.
3
American
abbreviation
Gal.
4
American
abbreviation
Bible.
Gal.
1
British
abbreviation
GAL
2
British
abbreviation
gal
3
British
/ ɡæl /
noun
gal.
4
British
abbreviation
gal
5
British
/ ɡæl /
noun
gal.
Scientific
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.
To make the point, he uses statements like, “Give the old gal a rest” and ”You need to broaden your appeal.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Is the old gal slipping, or is the costume design?
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
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
Tea Cake ain’t wasted up no money of mine, and he ain’t left me for no young gal, neither.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
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.
