Gale Meaning
/ɡeɪl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo cry; groan; croak.
verbTo talk.
Sentence Examples
We got our roof blown off in the gale.
The roof was torn off by the gale.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ blew so hard that trees were uprooted and roofs were torn off.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The strong ____ blew down several trees and caused power outages across the entire coastal region.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English galen, from Old English galan (“to sing, enchant, call, cry, scream; sing charms, practice incantation”), from Proto-Germanic *galaną (“to roop, sing, charm”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- (“to shout, scream, charm away”). Cognate with Danish gale (“to crow”), Swedish gala (“to crow”), Icelandic gala (“to sing, chant, crow”), Dutch galm (“echo, sound, noise”). Related to yell.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It's blowing a gale and this holiday destination loses all its appeal in an instant in weather like this."
— 2026 January 7, 'Mystery Shopper', “Cornish cream - without the jams?”, in RAIL, number 1052, page 48:
"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."
— 1972, International Association of Seed Crushers, Congress [proceedings]:
"A little gale will soon disperse that cloud."
— c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]:
"And winds of gentlest gale Arabian odours fanned / From their soft wings."
— 1671, John Milton, “The Second Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:
"As a rule the free miners do not work their own 'gales,' but dispose of them to capitalists."
— 1875, The Sanitary Record, volume 3, page 384:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ blew so hard that trees were uprooted and roofs were torn off.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The strong ____ blew down several trees and caused power outages across the entire coastal region.