gal
gb/ɡˈæl/ us/ɡˈæl/
B1
English
~ 8000
csaj, lány, gal
NOUN
B1
INFORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
a [adjective] gal
She's a smart gal with big plans for her career.
Okos csaj, nagy tervei vannak a karrierjével.
I met a gal at the conference who works in renewable energy.
Megismerkedtem egy lánnyal a konferencián, aki megújuló energiával foglalkozik.
That gal in the red jacket just paid for your coffee.
He’s looking for a gal who loves traveling as much as he does.
As a city gal, she wasn’t used to life on the farm.
Learner examples
Tom is dating a nice gal from his class.
Tom egy kedves lánnyal jár az osztályából.
The gal at the desk helped me find my room.
A pultnál lévő lány segített megtalálni a szobámat.
I know a gal who can fix your computer.
That gal is very good at basketball.
A young gal opened the door and smiled.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use “gal” in formal writing or professional situations, where it can sound too casual or old-fashioned; in those contexts, “woman” is usually better. Some learners also confuse “gal” with the abbreviation for “gallon” when reading measurements.
Meaning
informal word for girl or woman
Collocations
nice gal
|single gal
|country gal
|city gal
|modern gal
|gal pal
Synonyms
girl (Very common and neutral for a female child or young woman; slightly less old-fashioned than “gal”.)
|
woman (More formal and neutral, not slangy; often preferred in respectful or professional contexts.)
|
lady (Politer and a bit more formal; can sound old-fashioned or overly polite in some contexts.)
Antonyms
guy (Informal term for a male person, often used as the casual counterpart to “gal”.)
Themes
people
|gender
|relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
An informal word for a girl or woman.
A casual, informal term for a female person, especially a girl or woman.
NOUN
B2
2
gal
B2
Usage pattern:
[number] gal of [liquid]
The tank holds 15 gal of fuel when it’s full.
A tartályba tele állapotban 15 gal üzemanyag fér.
We bought a 5 gal bucket of paint for the house.
Vettünk egy 5 gal-os vödörnyi festéket a ház festéséhez.
This recipe calls for 1 gal of milk for the large batch.
The car gets about 30 miles per gal on the highway.
They installed a 50 gal water heater in the basement.
Learner examples
The sign says the price is $4 per gal of gas.
A táblán az áll, hogy a benzin ára 4 dollár/gal.
He filled a 2 gal bottle with clean water.
Megtöltött egy 2 gal-os palackot tiszta vízzel.
We need 1 gal of milk for the party.
This 10 gal tank is for my fish.
The car uses many gal of fuel on a long trip.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes read “gal” in measurements and think it means “girl”. In measurement contexts with numbers and liquids, “gal” almost always means “gallon”. Also, in speech, people usually say “gallon”, not “gal”.
Meaning
abbreviation for gallon
Collocations
5 gal bucket
|10 gal tank
|20 gal aquarium
|1 gal container
|3 gal of water
|per gal
Synonyms
gallon (The full word; used in speech and writing, while “gal” is mostly written in technical or space-saving contexts.)
Themes
measurement
|science
|cooking
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A short way to write “gallon”, a unit to measure how much liquid there is.
A written abbreviation for “gallon”, a unit of liquid volume equal to four quarts, used especially in the United States and some other countries.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
3
gal
C2
Usage pattern:
[something] measures [number] gal
Peak ground acceleration was recorded at 250 gal during the earthquake.
A földrengés során a maximális talajgyorsulás 250 gal volt.
The sensor outputs acceleration in units of gal rather than in meters per second squared.
Az érzékelő a gyorsulást galban, nem pedig m/s²-ben adja meg.
Values above 100 gal are considered strong shaking in this model.
For this experiment, we converted all measurements from m/s² to gal.
The instrument can detect changes as small as 0.1 gal.
Learner examples
The scientists measured the shaking in gal.
A tudósok galban mérték a rázkódást.
A value of 200 gal means very strong shaking.
A 200 galos érték nagyon erős rázkódást jelent.
This tool shows acceleration in gal on the screen.
They changed the numbers from m/s² to gal.
In this chart, higher gal means stronger movement.
Common mistake:
Most general learners will not know this meaning and may confuse it with “gallon” or the informal word for “girl”. In science texts about earthquakes or acceleration, “gal” is a unit name, not a person or a volume.
Meaning
unit of acceleration (galileo)
Collocations
in units of gal
|peak ground acceleration in gal
|50 gal of acceleration
|measured in gal
|value of 300 gal
Synonyms
galileo (The full name of the same unit; often shortened to “gal” in technical writing.)
Themes
science
|physics
|earthquakes
Definition
A special science unit to measure acceleration, equal to one centimeter per second squared.
A unit of acceleration in the centimetre–gram–second (CGS) system, equal to one centimetre per second squared, used especially in geophysics and seismology.
Grammar
Dictionary form
gal
IPA
GB/ɡˈæl/
US/ɡˈæl/
Syllables & stress
gal (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (gal)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: gal
- Plural: gals
Word family
Expressions
gal pal
1/ɡˈæl pˈæl/
fixed phrase
informal
female friend (non-romantic)
A female friend; a woman or girl who is your friend but not your girlfriend or romantic partner.
Examples
- She’s heading to the movies with a few gal pals from work.
- I’m meeting my gal pal for brunch on Sunday.
- We’ve been gal pals since high school and still talk every day.
my gal
1/mˈaɪ ɡˈæl/
fixed phrase
informal
informal term for girlfriend
An informal way to say “my girlfriend” or “the woman I am dating”, often sounding a bit old-fashioned or country-style.
Examples
- I’m taking my gal out for dinner tonight to celebrate her new job.
- He introduced her proudly as “my gal” at the party.
- That song always makes me think of my gal back home.