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

Barnaby Wright, deputy head of the gallery, added in her own statement that experts had previously suspected that another painting lay beneath the de Soto’s likeness, given the paint’s marks and textures. —Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 10 Feb. 2025

Complementing a more traditional gallery display, the retrospective also features an outdoor component where portraits of subjects ranging from Samuel L. Jackson to Miley Cyrus, enlarged to gargantuan proportions, have been mounted in 700-pound frames that spin with wind, braving the elements. —David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 10 Feb. 2025

In the wild days of the late 1980s and 1990s, Brantley says, bars along Bourbon Street would pay strippers to show off their goods on the long gallery balconies lining the road, and host ceremonial light pole-greasings to stop revelers climbing them. —Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2025

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the gallery, run by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, which serves folks with intellectual disabilities. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 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