gale

noun

ˈgāl How to pronounce gale (audio)
Definition of galenext
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling the audience responded to the comedian's joke with gales of laughter

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gale Winds cripple aerial firefighting Nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft were deployed, but gale-force winds drove flames through dry forest and crippled the response, preventing some aircraft from reaching the sea to collect water. — Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026 The nightjar carries it lightly But the world’s heavy as a lamp in a gale. — Rowan Ricardo Phillips, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026 In Greece, hundreds of firefighters fought Saturday to protect Porto Germeno, a popular resort on the Gulf of Corinth, as gale-force winds drove flames through the coastal area between Athens and Thebes. — Thomas Adamson, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026 That strong southwesterly breeze has already led to a gale wind warning from the NWS for the north coast on Friday, and conditions will be only marginally better Sunday. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for gale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gale
  1. explosion
  2. burst
  3. gust
  4. outburst
  5. eruption
  6. flash
  7. blaze
  8. storm
Noun
  • The explosions provide different interruptions, punctuating the moment as one of Keeley’s ideas plays out in real time.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Though the threat of an explosion was mitigated in early June, cleanup didn't begin until the very end of the month.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of explosion
Noun
  • The burst and ability to create separation jumped out, as did his calm and composed finish, all at seemingly peak speed.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This horror movie mostly just smelled of fake fog from a community theater production and occasionally you were startled by random bursts of air, once again pulling you from the events on screen.
    — Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • Elsewhere, southwest winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph and minimum humidity 9 to 15%.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Hazards include wind gusts could get as high as 55 mph, frequent lightning and heavy rain.
    — Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of gust
Noun
  • At least that bad-optics outburst, while insubordinate, had something noble at its basis.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • This woman reportedly had already been receiving unwanted and threatening messages, and investigators concluded that Zhou’s AI conversations showed something more than a momentary angry outburst.
    — Matthew T. Christ, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of outburst
Noun
  • Sonic booms, volcanic eruptions and meteor airbursts can produce similar atmospheric shock waves, potentially creating other natural seismic sources.
    — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The eruption also generated roughly 360 cubic miles (1,500 cubic kilometers) of pyroclastic-density-current deposits.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of eruption
Noun
  • Over 460 people have died and hundreds more are missing since catastrophic flash flooding tore through villages along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday.
    — Joelle Gross, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This heavy rain may produce flash flooding, especially in areas of higher terrain.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of flash
Noun
  • His push comes as another major utility, Southern California Edison, faces claims from the state’s second-most destructive blaze, a 2025 fire that killed 19 people outside of Los Angeles.
    — Sophie Austin, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • And Europe — the world’s fastest-warming continent — has been beset by extreme weather that has caused widespread droughts and blazes, marking some of the region’s gravest natural disasters on record.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of blaze
Noun
  • An inquest opened Wednesday into the sudden death earlier this month of Jason Arday, a Cambridge University professor who faced a storm of plagiarism accusations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Two small cedar trees were found snapped at the trunk, and that’s the extent of the storm damage, investigators said in a preliminary report.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of storm

Browse Nearby Words

galaxy
gale
galère
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gale. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gale

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gale

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