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Synonyms

gale

1 American  
[geyl] / geɪl /

noun

  1. a very strong wind.

  2. Meteorology. a wind of 32–63 miles per hour (14–28 meters per second).

  3. a noisy outburst.

    a gale of laughter filled the room.
    Synonyms:
    gust, fit, outbreak, eruption, burst

  4. Archaic. a gentle breeze.

gale 2 American  
[geyl] / geɪl /

noun

  1. sweet gale.

Gale 3 American  
[geyl] / geɪl /

noun

  1. Zona 1874–1938, U.S. novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and poet.

  2. a female or male given name.

gale 1 British  
/ ɡeɪl /

noun

  1. a strong wind, specifically one of force seven to ten on the Beaufort scale or from 45 to 90 kilometres per hour

  2. (often plural) a loud outburst, esp of laughter

  3. archaic a gentle breeze

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
gale 2 British  
/ ɡeɪl /

noun

  1. short for sweet gale

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gale1

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian dialect geil “uproar, unrest, boiling”

Origin of gale2

before 1000; Middle English gail, Old English gagel; cognate with German Gagel

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.

By Wednesday, the UK will be dominated by cold, brisk north to north-west winds, reaching gale force in places.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

A gale warning was also in effect for inner coastal waters, with officials discouraging boating until conditions improved.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Once unfurled, it holds up in anything short of a gale.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

For a moment, I felt myself transported, like a gale off Lake Michigan had carried us all back through time.

From Slate • Nov. 10, 2025

By dawn it was obvious that the men were in for another storm, and by noon the gale had blown up into hurricane force, lashing them with snow, rain, hail, and sleet.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

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.