Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense galls, present participle galling, past tense, past participle galled
1. uncountable noun
If you say that someone has thegallto do something, you are criticizing them for behaving in a rude or disrespectful way.
[disapproval]
I daresay he thought he was above the law. I can't get over the gall of the fellow.
She had the gall to suggest that I might supply her with information about what Stevewas doing.
Synonyms: impudence, audacity, insolence, impertinence More Synonyms of gall
2. verb
If someone's action galls you, it makes you feel very angry or annoyed, often because it is unfair to you and you cannot do anything about it.
It must have galled him that Bardo thwarted each of these measures. [VERB noun that]
It was their serenity which galled her most. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: annoy, provoke, irritate, aggravate [informal] More Synonyms of gall
gallingadjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
It was especially galling to be criticised by this scoundrel.
Synonyms: annoying, provoking, irritating, aggravating [informal] More Synonyms of gall
3. countable noun
A gall is a growth on the surface of a plant that is caused by an insect, disease, fungus, or injury.
More Synonyms of gall
gall in British English1
(ɡɔːl)
noun
1. informal
impudence
2.
bitterness; rancour
3.
something bitter or disagreeable
4. physiology an obsolete term for bile1
5. an obsolete term for gallbladder
Word origin
from Old Norse, replacing Old English gealla; related to Old High German galla, Greek kholē
gall in British English2
(ɡɔːl)
noun
1.
a sore on the skin caused by chafing
2.
something that causes vexation or annoyance
a gall to the spirits
3.
irritation; exasperation
verb
4. pathology
to abrade (the skin, etc) as by rubbing
5. (transitive)
to irritate or annoy; vex
Word origin
C14: of Germanic origin; related to Old English gealla sore on a horse, and perhaps to gall1
gall in British English3
(ɡɔːl)
noun
an abnormal outgrowth in plant tissue caused by certain parasitic insects, fungi, bacteria, or mechanical injury
Word origin
C14: from Old French galle, from Latin galla
gall. in British English
or gal.
abbreviation for
gallon
gallon in British English
(ˈɡælən)
noun
1. Also called: imperial gallon British
a unit of capacity equal to 277.42 cubic inches. 1 Brit gallon is equivalent to 1.20 US gallons or 4.55 litres
2. US
a unit of capacity equal to 231 cubic inches. 1 US gallon is equivalent to 0.83 imperial gallon or 3.79 litres
3. (plural)
great quantities
gall in American English1
(gɔl)
noun
1.
bile (sense 1)
2. Archaic
the gallbladder
3.
something that is bitter or distasteful
4.
bitter feeling; rancor
5. US
rude boldness; impudence; audacity
SIMILAR WORDS: teˈmerity
Word origin
ME galle < OE (Anglian) galla (WS gealla), akin to Ger galle < IE base *ĝhel-, to shine, yellow > L fel, gall, Gr cholē, bile
gall in American English2
(gɔl)
noun
1.
a sore on the skin, esp. of a horse's back, caused by rubbing or chafing
2.
irritation or annoyance, or a cause of this
verb transitive
3.
to injure or make sore by rubbing; chafe
4.
to irritate; annoy; vex
verb intransitive
5. Rare
to become sore from rubbing or chafing
Word origin
ME galle < OE gealla < L galla: see gall3
gall in American English3
(gɔl)
noun
a tumor on plant tissue caused by stimulation by fungi, insects, or bacteria: gallsformed on oak trees have a high tannic acid content and are used commercially
Word origin
ME galle < OFr < L galla, gallnut, orig., spherical growth < IE base *gel-, to form into a ball > clay, clot
Examples of 'gall' in a sentence
gall
Two years ago he had his gall bladder removed.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And left another with serious burns during a gall bladder operation.
The Sun (2016)
His brother said he had gall bladder keyhole surgery.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
His gall bladder and half of his liver were removed.
The Sun (2012)
Medics found a gall stone had been missed when the veteran showman had his gall bladder out three weeks ago.
The Sun (2012)
Police and ambulance staff found injuries to his chest and back but his death was blamed on complications from gall bladder surgery.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Here's a rare starring moment for the gall bladder.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He had a gall bladder operation in Germany last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
A scan showed an abnormal gall bladder.
The Sun (2009)
A routine gall bladder operation went wrong.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Most of the bile salts are then absorbed back into the blood, returned to the liver and recycled into the gall bladder.
Pantano, James A. (MD) Living with Angina (1991)
Last March he had his gall bladder and a benign tumour removed in Heidelberg.
The Sun (2011)
If these cause symptoms, the gall bladder may need removal - which means another op.
The Sun (2013)
QI have a recurring burning pain from a scar that is a result of a gall bladder operation 20 years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He had undergone six operations, his spleen and gall bladder had been removed, and he still had no feeling in his left hand.
Oliver Poole BLACK KNIGHTS: On the Bloody Road to Baghdad (2003)
With no desire to have my gall bladder unnecessarily removed, I asked the doctor to arrange another consultation.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Q been told that I need my gall bladder removed.
The Sun (2007)
In other languages
gall
British English: gall NOUN
If you say that someone has the gall to do something, you are criticizing them for behaving in a rude or disrespectful way.
I daresay he thought he was above the law. I can't get over the gall of the fellow.
American English: gall
Brazilian Portuguese: descaramento
Chinese: 厚颜无耻
European Spanish: agallas
French: culot
German: Frechheit
Italian: sfacciataggine
Japanese: ずうずうしさ
Korean: 뻔뻔스러움
European Portuguese: descaramento
Latin American Spanish: agallas
British English: gall VERB
If someone's action galls you, it makes you feel very angry or annoyed, often because it is unfair to you and you cannot do anything about it.
It must have galled him that he thwarted each of these measures.
American English: gall
Brazilian Portuguese: irritar
Chinese: 激怒
European Spanish: molestar
French: ulcérer
German: maßlos ärgern
Italian: irritare
Japanese: いらだたせる
Korean: 분하게 만들다
European Portuguese: irritar
Latin American Spanish: molestar
1 (noun)
Definition
bold impudence
(informal)
She had the gall to suggest that I might lend her the money.
Synonyms
impudence
One sister had the impudence to wear the other's clothes.
audacity
He had the audacity to look at his watch while I was talking.
insolence
The most frequent reason for excluding a pupil was insolence.
impertinence
The impertinence of the boy is phenomenal!
face (informal)
I haven't the face to ask her for money.
front
neck (informal)
nerve (informal)
He had the nerve to ask me to prove who I was.
sauce (informal)
cheek (informal)
I'm amazed they have the cheek to ask in the first place.
brass (informal)
You have got some brass, mate!
boldness
chutzpah (US, Canadian, informal)
effrontery
He had the effrontery to turn up on my doorstep at 2 in the morning.
brass neck (British, informal)
sauciness
brazenness
sassiness (US, informal)
2 (noun)
Definition
a feeling of great bitterness
all gall and wormwood
Synonyms
bitterness
I still feel bitterness and anger.
spite
Never had she met such spite and pettiness.
resentment
Rigid policing can only feed resentment and undermine confidence.
hostility
She looked at Ron with open hostility.
malice
There was no malice on his part.
animosity
There's a long history of animosity between the two nations.
venom
There was no mistaking the venom in his voice.
bile
He aims his bile at religion, drugs and politics.
antipathy
She'd often spoken of her antipathy towards London.
spleen
There were other targets for his spleen.
enmity
The two countries erupted into open enmity during the Gulf war.
acrimony
The council's first meeting ended in acrimony.
rancour
`That's too bad,' he said without rancour.
bad blood
There is, it seems, some bad blood between them.
animus
He displayed a thorough animus to the Western tradition.
malevolence
His actions betrayed a rare streak of malevolence.
sourness
malignity
1 (noun)
Definition
an abnormal outgrowth on a tree or plant caused by parasites
The mites live within the galls that are formed on the plant.
Synonyms
growth
This type of surgery could even be used to extract cancerous growths.
lump
I've got a lump on my shoulder.
excrescence
soft excrescences which are attached to the arterial walls
2 (noun)
Definition
something that causes annoyance
Synonyms
irritation
Don't allow a minor irritation to mar your ambitions.
bother
Most men hate the bother of shaving.
harassment
people who had experienced sexual harassment
pest
My neighbour's a real pest.
nuisance
He can be a bit of a nuisance when he's drunk.
It's a real nuisance having to pick up the kids from school every day.
provocation
They kept their tempers in the face of severe provocation.
annoyance
To her annoyance the stranger did not go away.
irritant
He said the issue was not a major irritant.
exasperation
There was a trace of exasperation in his voice.
aggravation (informal)
I just couldn't take the aggravation.
vexation
He kicked the broken machine in vexation.
botheration (informal)
1 (verb)
Definition
to annoy or irritate
It was their smugness that galled her most.
Synonyms
annoy
Try making a note of the things that annoy you.
provoke
I didn't want to do anything to provoke him.
irritate
Their attitude irritates me.
aggravate (informal)
What aggravates you most about this country?
get (informal)
What gets me is the attitude of these people.
trouble
Is anything troubling you?
bother
That kind of jealousy doesn't bother me.
disturb
plague
I'm not going to plague you with a lot of questions.
madden
The ticking of the clock really maddens me.
ruffle
My refusal to let him ruffle me infuriated him.
exasperate
The constant interruptions were beginning to exasperate me.
nettle
I instantly regretted my remark, because it obviously nettled him.
vex
Everything about that man vexes me.
displease
He did not wish to displease her.
irk
The rehearsal process irked him increasingly.
rile (informal)
Cancellations rarely riled him.
peeve (informal)
get under your skin (informal)
Her mannerisms can just get under your skin and needle you.
get on your nerves (informal)
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang)
get up your nose (informal)
give someone grief (British, South Africa)
make your blood boil
piss you off (taboo, slang)
rub up the wrong way
get on your wick (British, slang)
get your back up
put your back up
hack you off (informal)
2 (verb)
Definition
to make the skin sore by rubbing
Synonyms
scrape
She stumbled and fell, scraping her palms and knees.