What does "gallows" mean?
A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.
Gallows
/ˈɡæloʊz/ adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.
- Grammar: gallows is listed as adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ax, beheading, block, brace.
- Usage evidence: The criminal was sent to the gallows.
How to use "gallows"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gallows" 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 "gallows" 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
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gallows" is acting as adv, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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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 A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.
"Near-synonym: gibbet"
- 2 an instrument of execution consisting of a wooden frame from which a condemned person is executed by hanging wordnet
- 3 A wretch who deserves to be hanged. colloquial, obsolete
"Ay, and a shrewd unhappy gallows too. / You'll ne'er be friends with him: a' kill'd your sister."
- 4 The rest for the tympan when raised. obsolete
- 5 Suspenders; braces. colloquial, obsolete
"The last pair of "gallowses" made by Mr. Gratacap was an order from Mr. Brokaw, the clothier."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Any contrivance with posts and crossbeam for suspending objects.
"Lit by the moonlight through the window, he can see a FIGURE in the hospital bed alone in the room, and under a transparent oxygen tent. […] Tubes hang from a steel gallows beside the bed, and run to his nose and mouth."
- 7 The main frame of a beam engine.
Verb
- 1 third-person singular simple present indicative of gallow form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person
Adverb
- 1 Utterly; very. archaic, colloquial, not-comparable
"They've got a gallows bad reputation, but you know what a place the beach is for talking."
Proper Noun
- 1 plural of Gallow form-of, plural
Example
"The criminal was sent to the gallows."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gallows"?
Common synonyms include: ax, beheading, block, brace, burning, capital punishment.
How do you use "gallows" in a sentence?
The criminal was sent to the gallows.
How do you pronounce "gallows"?
Pronounced /ˈɡæloʊz/.
Etymology
From Middle English galwes, galewes, plural of galwe, galowe, from Old English galga, gealga, from Proto-West Germanic *galgō, from Proto-Germanic *galgô, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰalgʰ-, *ǵʰalg- (“long switch, rod, shaft, pole, perch”). The plural construction probably refers to the vertical and horizontal beams. Compare West Frisian galge, Dutch galg, German Galgen, Danish galge, Icelandic gálgi. For the pronunciation /ˈɡæləs/, compare bellows, bodice.