gall
noun
gall
1 American
[gawl]
/ gɔl /
gall
2
American
[gawl]
/ gɔl /
verb (used with object)
-
galls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
galled,
past participle, past
-
galling
present participle
-
to vex or irritate greatly.
His arrogant manner galls me.
-
to make sore by rubbing; chafe severely.
The saddle galled the horse's back.
verb (used without object)
-
galls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
galled,
past participle, past
-
galling
present participle
-
to be or become chafed.
-
Machinery. (of either of two engaging metal parts) to lose metal to the other because of heat or molecular attraction resulting from friction.
-
Metallurgy. (of a die or compact in powder metallurgy) to lose surface material through adhesion to the die.
noun
-
something very vexing or irritating.
-
a state of vexation or irritation.
-
a sore on the skin, especially of a horse, due to rubbing; excoriation.
gall
3
American
[gawl]
/ gɔl /
noun
Gall
4
American
[gawl]
/ gɔl /
noun
gall
1
British
/ ɡɔːl /
noun
-
a sore on the skin caused by chafing
-
something that causes vexation or annoyance
a gall to the spirits
-
irritation; exasperation
verb
-
pathol to abrade (the skin, etc) as by rubbing
-
(tr) to irritate or annoy; vex
gall
2
British
/ ɡɔːl /
noun
-
informal impudence
-
bitterness; rancour
-
something bitter or disagreeable
-
physiol an obsolete term for bile 1
-
an obsolete term for gall bladder
gall
3
British
/ ɡɔːl /
noun
gall.
4
British
abbreviation
gall
Scientific
/ gôl /
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gallsimple
-
gallssimple
-
have galledperfect
-
has galledperfect
-
am gallingprogressive
-
are gallingprogressive
-
is gallingprogressive
-
have been gallingperfect progressive
-
has been gallingperfect progressive
Past
-
galledsimple
-
had galledperfect
-
was gallingprogressive
-
were gallingprogressive
-
had been gallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of gall1
First recorded before 900; Middle English galle, gal “gallbladder; bitter taste; rancor; poison,” Old English gealla “bile”; cognate with German Galle; akin to Latin fel, Greek cholḗ, chólos “gall, bile”; gall 2 ( def. )
Origin of gall2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English gal(l)e, gaul(e) “sore (on the skin); stain, impurity; barren spot (in a field),” Old English gealla “an abrasion or sore (on a horse)”; possibly from Latin galla “nutgall”; possibly the same as gall 1 ( def. ), the senses developing from “bile” to “poison” to “(poisonous) sore” to “stain”; gall 3 ( def. )
Origin of gall3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English galle, from Middle French, from Latin galla “gallnut”; see gall 2
Explanation
Gall describes something irritating, like someone very rude. If you barge into a bakery and cut in front of a sweet old lady, then you have gall. If someone has gall, they're irritating. In fact, as a verb, gall means "to irritate" like new tight jeans that gall your thighs. Gall is "bile," too, like what's in a gall bladder. Back in the days of Hippocrates, if the four humors of the body were out of whack, it affected your spirits. If you had too much bile, or gall, then you'd be aggressive or depressed. It's also a noun for "deep feeling of ill will."
Vocabulary lists containing gall
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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A Raisin in the Sun
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Stump Speech: Tree Terminology
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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.
See Examples For:
“That young man had the gall to say, ‘You played hacky sack?’” the 46-year-old laughed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
He had a procedure which resulted in the removal of part of his pancreas, the duodenum, the gall bladder and part of his liver.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
And then he has the gall to justify his expenses by saying that we do need two cars.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025
Tucked into the speeches lauding Lee’s accomplishments, more than one supporter called out Taylor for having the gall to go after her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2025
After Grandpa went back to work just before Christmas, Aunt Loma had the gall to go ask him herself to raise Camp’s pay.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Sandy McCook, chairman of Nethy Community Council, said he had witnessed a "major flare-up" on Mam Suim, Craig nan Gall and into Strath Nethy on Thursday evening.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Tiberi could finish only fourth, 31 seconds back at the end of the 168km stage from Al Ain Museum, with Australian Luke Plapp taking second at 12sec and Austria's Felix Gall third at 21sec.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
Mr. Gall was well known in France, and was an international personality in the theater world, said Vincent Sarrou, an associate auctioneer at Tessier & Sarrou & Associés, the house that obtained the estate.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
"We looked at a limited number of materials and we intentionally included some that are common in indoor environments," Gall said.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 2, 2024
“Happy to. Gall my office; as soon as I can get you in, I will.”
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
"You laugh. You. Now that is gall. You fight like a hedgehog ..." "There was a knight once who couldn't see," Bran said stubbornly, as Ser Rodrik went on below.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Wax Finishing.—Take ½ gall. of turpentine, 1½ lb. yellow beeswax, 1 lb. white beeswax, ½ lb. white rosin.
From French Polishing and Enamelling A Practical Work of Instruction by Richard Bitmead
For the commonest kind of work in black walnut a very cheap polish can be made in the following manner: Take 1 gall. of turpentine, 2 lb. pulverised asphaltum, 1 qt. boiled linseed-oil, 2 oz.
From French Polishing and Enamelling A Practical Work of Instruction by Richard Bitmead
Take 1/2 gall. of skimmed milk, 6 ozs. of lime newly slaked, 4 ozs. of poppy, linseed, or nut-oil, and 3 lbs. of Spanish white.
From Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets by Daniel Young
Take of linseed oil 2-1/2 galls., spirits of turpentine 2-1/2 galls., western petroleum 1 gall., liquor potass 8 oz., sap green 1 oz., mix all together, and it is ready for use.
From Young's Demonstrative Translation of Scientific Secrets by Daniel Young
Above the books hangs a swath of raw linen adorned with oak galls — scabs shed from the trees Argote passes on routine walks in her neighborhood of Boyle Heights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
But as much as it galls me to admit it, these gems don't always hold up to adult scrutiny.
From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2022
Eiseman was familiar with galls long before writing his first book, particularly the common ones referred to as “oak apples,” for their large size and roughly spherical shape.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 2, 2022
They may be leaf mines or galls — and that’s a good thing.
From New York Times ● Sep. 29, 2022
My own voice galls even me; it oppresses me like a silver fork scraped across porcelain.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Many were particularly galled about a provision in the U.S. plan that extended amnesty for actions taken by all parties during the war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
It galled Nixon that the press, never his friend, was turning Ellsberg into a hero.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2023
The block on calls using the popular WhatsApp, FaceTime and Skype applications has particularly galled UAE residents who were separated from families and friends by restrictions during the pandemic.
From Reuters ● Sep. 29, 2021
That theme punctuated the official explanations offered by the White House for clemency grants, and its presence galled government watchdogs, ethicists, public officials and even some supporters of greater use of clemency.
From New York Times ● Jan. 20, 2021
Truth be told, I wasn’t really hungry anymore, but it galled me to be pulled away from a meal after all the times I’d been hungry in Tarbean.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
It all has to be at least a little galling for the English teachers and Homeric scholars who have long tried to get students to appreciate the material like they do.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The loss of Shazeer is particularly galling as it is the second time he has left Google.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
What is especially galling, some victims said, is that their compensation for years of fighting for justice will boil down to a day’s pay for a Purdue attorney like Huebner, who charges $2,935 an hour.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
The galling sight of Ireland and Wales winning championships and Grand Slams, partying hard as Scotland stared in the window.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
“Almost as galling as being discovered in the midst of an embrace.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
