gala

noun

ga·​la ˈgā-lə  ˈga-  ˈgä- 

1

: a festive celebration

especially : a public entertainment marking a special occasion

2

capitalized : a medium-sized apple with crisp yellowish-white sweet flesh and a red skin or a golden skin with red striping

gala adjective

Synonyms

• carnival
• celebration
• fest
• festival
• festivity
• fete
• fête
• fiesta
• jubilee

Examples of gala in a Sentence

a grand gala celebrating the town's centennial

attended the gala celebrating the reopening of the museum

Recent Examples on the Web

The company’s opening night gala, along with its entire season, was dedicated to the company’s visionary muse and artistic director, Judith Jamison, who passed away in November. —Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024

While attending a gala performance for the West End musical version of the 2006 film, the Vogue editrix addressed comparisons between herself and the character Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) from the movie and the bestselling 2003 novel by Wintour’s former assistant Lauren Weisberger. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024

But he is expected to be on hand when the Dead is collectively saluted as MusiCares’ Persons of the Year at a gala banquet just before the Grammys in late January. —Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Dec. 2024

Selena Gomez expressed her desire for continued growth in representation in the entertainment industry during her acceptance speech for the Equity in Entertainment Award on Wednesday at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment gala breakfast, presented by Lifetime. —Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, borrowed from Spanish, "elegance, pomp, occasion marked by display," borrowed from Middle French gale "festivity, pleasure" — more at gallant entry 1

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gala

noun

ga·​la ˈgā-lə  ˈgal-ə 

: a festive celebration

gala adjective