gallop

1 of 2

verb

gal·​lop ˈga-ləp How to pronounce gallop (audio)
galloped; galloping; gallops
Synonyms of gallopnext

intransitive verb

1
: to progress or ride at a gallop
2
: to run fast

transitive verb

1
: to cause to gallop
2
: to transport at a gallop
galloper noun

gallop

2 of 2

noun

1
: a bounding gait of a quadruped
specifically : a fast natural usually 4-beat gait of the horse compare canter entry 3, run
2
: a ride or run at a gallop
3
: a stretch of land suitable for galloping horses
4
: a rapid or hasty progression or pace

Synonyms

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of gallop in a Sentence

Verb The horse galloped toward us. He mounted his horse and galloped off to sound the alarm. She galloped her horse toward us. I grabbed my books and galloped out the door. The program gallops through early American history. Noun The horse was at full gallop. He mounted his horse and took off at a gallop. We went for a gallop through the countryside.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
The chief quickly obliged, galloping toward the soldiers with two of his most renowned warriors, Spotted Tail and Iron Shell. —Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024 Henry sprinted through the heart of Buffalo’s defense on Baltimore’s first offensive play of the game before galloping away 87 yards for a touchdown. —Ben Morse, CNN, 30 Sep. 2024
Noun
In turn, the horses followed his lead, listening to his commands to slow down (like when Angie broke into a gallop). —Mazuba Kapambwe, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2024 Moderators failed their job in the debate In the recent debate, President Biden was the victim of a Gish gallop attack by Donald Trump. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for gallop 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English galopen, walopen, borrowed from Anglo-French galoper, gualoper (Picard dialect waloper), perhaps going back to Old Low Franconian *wala hlaupan, literally "to run well," from *wala "well, with good appearance or effect" (going back to Germanic *welō) + *hlaupan "to run," going back to Germanic *hlaup-a- — more at well entry 3, leap entry 1

Note: An alternative explanation sees the Old French noun as primary, and derived from Old Low Franconian *walhlaup-, from *wal- "battlefield" and *hlaup-, a nominal derivative of *hlaupan (hence alluding to a warriorʼs manner of riding on the battlefield). Though the meaning of the first noun is reflected in Old High German wal "battlefield," the general meaning of the Germanic etymon is "the slain, the dead in battle" (see valhalla).

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Anglo-French galop, noun derivative of galoper "to gallop entry 1"; replacing Middle English walop, borrowed from Anglo-French walop, galop

Note: Alternatively, the noun could be original, and the verb a derivative of the noun. See note at gallop entry 1.

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gallop was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near gallop

gallooned

gallop

gallopade

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Gallop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gallop. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

gallop

1 of 2 verb
gal·​lop ˈgal-əp How to pronounce gallop (audio)
1
: to go or cause to go at a gallop
2
: to run fast
galloper noun

gallop

2 of 2 noun
1
: a fast bounding gait of a four-footed animal in which all four feet are off the ground at one time once in each stride
especially : a fast gait of the horse with a three-beat or four-beat rhythm
2
: a ride or run at a gallop
3
: a rapid progression or pace

Medical Definition

gallop

1 of 2 intransitive verb
gal·​lop ˈgal-əp How to pronounce gallop (audio)
: to progress or ride at a gallop

transitive verb

: to cause to gallop

gallop

2 of 2 noun
1
: a bounding gait of a quadruped
specifically : a fast natural 3-beat gait of the horse
2
: gallop rhythm

More from Merriam-Webster on gallop

Nglish: Translation of gallop for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of gallop for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gallop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Giving Thanks Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...