gallon

[ gal-uhn ]

See synonyms for gallon on Thesaurus.com

noun

a common unit of capacity in English-speaking countries, equal to four quarts, the U.S. standard gallon being equal to 231 cubic inches (3.7853 liters), and the British imperial gallon to 277.42 cubic inches (4.546 liters). Abbreviation: gal.

Origin of gallon

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English galo(u)n, gallon, from Old North French galon, derivative from base of Medieval Latin gallēta “jug, bucket,” of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gallon in a sentence

As an Ebola patient slips from bad to worse to dire, he can expel as many as two and a half gallons of effluvia a day.
Ebola Nurses Are As Brave As Soldiers | Michael Daly | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
So he simply swallowed a few gallons of water before he stepped on the official military scale.
‘Kill Team’: The Documentary the Army Doesn’t Want You to See | Andrew Romano | July 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A caravan from Windsor, Ontario across the river recently delivered a couple of hundred gallons to needy customers.
Detroit Shuts Off Water to Residents but Not to Businesses Who Owe Millions | Mary M. Chapman | July 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A reverse osmosis plant on an adjacent plot of land desalinates and purifies up to 1.25 million gallons of water daily.
Sun+Water= High Tech Caribbean Luxury At The Cusinart Resort | The Daily Beast | June 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In April, Westport Innovations delivered four tenders—cars that can carry 10,000 gallons of LNG—to CN.
Diesel Trains May Soon Use Natural Gas Instead | The Daily Beast | May 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

It will force 500 gallons of water 100 feet high in a minute; above ten times the quantity that engines worked by men can do.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis Trevithick
The quantity of this liquid distributed per acre is about 50,000 gallons, at a cost of 2d.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas Anderson
Well, it burst one day, and a little matter of a million gallons of molasses went exploring through the streets.
The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch | Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
Hay tea is made, by boiling a pound of sweet, well-cured clover, in one and a half gallons of clean water.
Domestic Animals | Richard L. Allen
Military disaster units cooked huge quantities of food and prepared thousands of gallons of coffee and reconstituted milk.
The Flaming Mountain | Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for gallon

gallon

/ (ˈɡælən) /

noun

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
US a unit of capacity equal to 231 cubic inches. 1 US gallon is equivalent to 0.83 imperial gallon or 3.79 litres

(plural) great quantities

Origin of gallon

C13: from Old Northern French galon (Old French jalon), perhaps of Celtic origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for gallon

gallon

[ găl′ən ]

A unit of liquid volume or capacity in the US Customary System equal to 4 quarts (3.79 liters). See Table at measurement.

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