gallery

noun

gal·​lery ˈga-lə-rē 

ˈgal-rē

plural galleries

1

a

: a roofed promenade : colonnade

b

: corridor sense 1

2

a

: an outdoor balcony

b

Southern US and Midland US : porch, veranda

c

: a platform at the quarters or stern of a ship

3

a

: a long and narrow passage, apartment, or corridor

b

: a subterranean passageway in a cave or military mining system

also : a working drift or level in mining

c

: an underground passage made by a mole or ant or a passage made in wood by an insect (such as a beetle)

4

a

: a room or building devoted to the exhibition of works of art

b

: an institution or business exhibiting or dealing in works of art

c

: collection, aggregation

the rich gallery of characters in this novel

—H. S. Canby

5

a

: a structure projecting from one or more interior walls (as of an auditorium or church) to accommodate additional people

especially : the highest balcony in a theater commonly having the cheapest seats

b

: the part of a theater audience seated in the top gallery

c

: the undiscriminating general public

d

: the spectators at a sporting event (such as a tennis or golf match)

6

: a small ornamental barrier or railing (as along the edge of a table or shelf)

7

: a photographer's studio

galleried

ˈga-lə-rēd 

ˈgal-rēd

adjective

galleryite

ˈga-lə-rē-ˌīt 

ˈgal-rē-

noun

Synonyms

• museum
• salon

Examples of gallery in a Sentence

She owns a gallery downtown.

The movie features a gallery of weird characters.

Recent Examples on the Web

Dressed in all black, Rihanna, 36, sat in the gallery at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, between Rocky's mother Renee Black and his sister Erika B. Mayers. —Daniela Avila, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025

The Louvre is also planning brand new entrances, sleek underground galleries, and other high-end upgrades. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 29 Jan. 2025

That same year, Smith had her first solo New York gallery show, having already had a Santa Fe exhibition in 1978. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 28 Jan. 2025

The Serpentine has two separate gallery spaces, each situated in Hyde Park—a 350-acre public park in West London, frequented mostly by tourists and the citizens of the wealthy neighboring postcodes. —Oskar Oprey, Artforum, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gallerie, borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin galeria, probably alteration (by dissimilation or suffix change) of galilea galilee

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing gallery

• fly gallery
• gallery forest
• peanut gallery
• play to the gallery
• press gallery
• shooting gallery

Kids Definition

gallery

noun

gal·​lery ˈgal(-ə)-rē 

plural galleries

1

: an outdoor balcony

2

a

: a long narrow room, hall, or passage

b

: an underground passageway (as in a mine or cave)

c

: a passage (as in earth or wood) made by an animal and especially an insect

3

a

: a room or building devoted to the exhibition of works of art

b

: a business dealing in works of art

4

: a balcony in an auditorium

especially : the highest balcony in a theater or the people who sit there

play to the gallery

5

: a photographer's studio