Meaning

(intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To cry; groan; croak..

Definitions by Sense

1. (intransitive, now chiefly dialectal) To cry; groan; croak.
2. (intransitive, of a person, now chiefly dialectal) To talk.
3. (transitive, now chiefly dialectal) To sing; utter with musical modulations.
4. (meteorology) A very strong wind, more than a breeze, less than a storm; number 7 through to 9 winds on the 12-step Beaufort scale.
5. An outburst, especially of laughter.
6. (literary, archaic) A light breeze.
7. (nautical) To sail, or sail fast.
8. A shrub, also called sweet gale or bog myrtle (Myrica gale), that grows on moors and fens.

Example Sentences

It's blowing a gale outside.

Many parts of the boat were damaged in the gale.

With my mother's permission and blessings, I set off exultantly for Bombay, leaving my wife with a baby of a few months. But on arrival there, friends told my brother that the Indian Ocean was rough in June and July, and as this was my first voyage, I should not be allowed to sail until November. Someone also reported that a steamer had just been sunk in a gale. This made my brother uneasy, and he refused to take the risk of allowing me to sail immediately.

It's blowing a gale and this holiday destination loses all its appeal in an instant in weather like this.

a gale of laughter

The slightest hint of smugness would have had the nation leaning over our shoulders to blow out the birthday candles with a gale of reproach and disapproval.

A little gale will soon disperse that cloud.

And winds of gentlest gale Arabian odours fanned / From their soft wings.

Word Forms

• gales
• galing
• galed
• gole
• galen

Related Words

When Should You Use Gale?

Use gale when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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