What does "gallop" mean?
The fastest gait of a horse, a two-beat stride during which all four legs are off the ground simultaneously.
Gallop
/ˈɡæləp/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The fastest gait of a horse, a two-beat stride during which all four legs are off the ground simultaneously.
- Grammar: gallop is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: amble, bound, burst, burst of speed.
- Useful contrasts: amble, ambling, canter.
- Usage evidence: They moved quicker than horses in gallop.
How to use "gallop"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gallop" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gallop" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gallop" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gallop" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gallop" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "amble" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gallop", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The fastest gait of a horse, a two-beat stride during which all four legs are off the ground simultaneously.
- 2 a fast gait of a horse; a two-beat stride during which all four legs are off the ground simultaneously wordnet
- 3 An act or instance of going or running rapidly.
"Charlie and Marnie fought at brunch and then confessed their undying love for each other; Ray got promoted by his coffee-shop boss and then dumped by his croissant-purse-toting girlfriend; and Hannah, with a deadline looming, her OCD blaring, and all her friends elsewhere, desperately FaceTimed Adam—who took a shirtless, rom-commy gallop across Brooklyn to meet her."
- 4 An abnormal rhythm of the heart, made up of three or four sounds, like a horse's gallop.
- 5 A rhythm consisting of an 8th note followed by two 16th notes, resembling a horse's gallop.
"A gallop rhythm: \drums{\repeat unfold4{wbl8wbh16 16"
Verb
- 1 To run at a gallop. intransitive
"The horse galloped past the finishing line."
- 2 ride at a galloping pace wordnet
- 3 To ride at a galloping pace. intransitive
"Gallop lively down the western hill."
- 4 cause to move at full gallop wordnet
- 5 To cause to gallop. transitive
"to gallop a horse"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 go at galloping speed wordnet
- 7 To make electrical or other utility lines sway and/or move up and down violently, usually due to a combination of high winds and ice accrual on the lines. ambitransitive
- 8 To run very fast. intransitive
"In the 11th minute the German won possession in midfield and teed up the galloping Kieran Gibbs, whose angled shot was pushed by Kelvin Davies straight into the retreating Jos Hooiveld."
- 9 To go rapidly or carelessly, as in making a hasty examination. figuratively, intransitive
"Such superficial ideas he may collect in galloping over it."
- 10 To progress rapidly through the body. intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"They moved quicker than horses in gallop."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gallop"?
Common synonyms include: amble, bound, burst, burst of speed, canter, cantered.
How do you use "gallop" in a sentence?
They moved quicker than horses in gallop.
How do you pronounce "gallop"?
Pronounced /ˈɡæləp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English galopen (“to gallop”), from Old French galoper (compare modern French galoper), from Frankish *wala hlaupan (“to run well”), from *wala (“well”) + *hlaupan (“to run”), from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną (“to run, leap, spring”), from Proto-Indo-European *klaup-, *klaub- (“to spring, stumble”). Possibly also derived from a deverbal of Frankish *walhlaup (“battle run”) from *wal (“battlefield”) from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "dead, victim, slain" from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“death in battle, killed in battle”) + *hlaup (“course, track”) from *hlaupan (“to run”). More at well, leap, valkyrie. See also the doublet wallop, coming from the same source through an Old Northern French variant.
Etymology 2
English surname, variant of Gallup.