gallows

American  

[gal-ohz, -uhz] / ˈgæl oʊz, -əz /

noun

plural

gallowses, gallows

1. a wooden frame, consisting of a crossbeam on two uprights, on which condemned persons are executed by hanging.

2. a similar structure from which something is suspended.

3. execution by hanging.

   a crime deserving of the gallows.

4. Also called gallows bitts.  Nautical. a support on the deck of a vessel, generally one of two or more, consisting of a crosspiece on two uprights, for spars, boats, etc.

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gallows British  

/ ˈɡæləʊz /

noun

1. a wooden structure usually consisting of two upright posts with a crossbeam from which a rope is suspended, used for hanging criminals

2. any timber structure resembling this, such as (in Australia and New Zealand) a frame for hoisting up the bodies of slaughtered cattle

3. execution by hanging

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Etymology

Origin of gallows

before 900; Middle English galwes, Old English g ( e ) algan, plural of g ( e ) alga gallows; cognate with German Galgen

Explanation

During the Salem witch trials in the late 1600s, women accused of witchcraft were executed by hanging, a gruesome process that involves a gallows, or wooden frame from which a person is hung by a rope. A gallows is a frame, usually wood, that is made up of a horizontal crossbeam from which a noose or rope is suspended. The word gallows has an s at the end of it because a gallows usually consists of two upright poles and a crossbeam. As a form of capital punishment, hanging is outlawed in almost every state, making the use of gallows these days very rare. If you see one, it will be in a museum.

Example Sentences

As Ralph Waldo Emerson saw it, Brown’s death on the scaffold turned him into a “new Saint awaiting his martyrdom, and who, if he shall suffer, will make the gallows glorious like the cross.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

Newsrooms being breeding grounds for gallows humor, most also understand that futility is a terrific comedy catalyst.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2025

And if you're willing to permit a bit of gallows humour at a time like this, as the goalkeeper, he might have ample opportunity to shine.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025

These songs tap into the bottomless well that Mexicans have for gallows humor.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 4, 2025

Richard Rumbold, a Puritan soldier convicted of treason in 1685, who spoke the words from the gallows.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis