as in bursts
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
the audience responded to the comedian's joke with gales of laughter
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Recent Examples of gales
The threat of thunderstorms, gales, and violent lightning led to the cancellation of the final day of SailGP competition in Saint-Tropez.
—
Andrew Rice, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Southern China also shuts down Southern China’s Hainan Island saw heavy rainfall and gales as the typhoon brushed past the island on Sunday.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 25 Aug. 2025
Strong winds were also a concern in areas where residents are accustomed to heavy rain, but not necessarily cyclone-strength gales.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
The front will have strong north to northeast winds behind it and prompt development of gales offshore of Tampico, Mexico through early Friday morning creating peak seas with 12- to 14-foot waves.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2025
Winter gales and ice were a constant threat.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 19 Dec. 2024
Nuclear power plants have increasingly been seen as a carbon pollution-free source of electricity that can fill in for solar and wind farms when the sun sets and gales weaken.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
Slowly the mystical land enters her inner world and – one day at a time – Rona finds hope and strength in herself among the heavy gales and the bracingly cold sea.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
Andrew Rice, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Southern China also shuts down Southern China’s Hainan Island saw heavy rainfall and gales as the typhoon brushed past the island on Sunday.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 25 Aug. 2025
Strong winds were also a concern in areas where residents are accustomed to heavy rain, but not necessarily cyclone-strength gales.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025
The front will have strong north to northeast winds behind it and prompt development of gales offshore of Tampico, Mexico through early Friday morning creating peak seas with 12- to 14-foot waves.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2025
Winter gales and ice were a constant threat.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 19 Dec. 2024
Nuclear power plants have increasingly been seen as a carbon pollution-free source of electricity that can fill in for solar and wind farms when the sun sets and gales weaken.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 4 Dec. 2024
Slowly the mystical land enters her inner world and – one day at a time – Rona finds hope and strength in herself among the heavy gales and the bracingly cold sea.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gales
Noun
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Available in Piña + Plumeria and Strawberry + Shea, these bold combos infuse your laundry with irresistible bursts of scent that last from wash to wear.—
Adam Mills,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
RDREs use a detonation wave that races around a circular channel, which produces short, high-pressure bursts that drive up thrust and efficiency.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Video footage from the area showed multiple large explosions in Gaza City on Tuesday as the IDF pressed its offensive.—
Kevin Shalvey,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Aside from heavy tanks and artillery firing salvos leading to big explosions and heavy smoke on the training area, infantry units also charged forward on motorcycles, quad bikes or on foot under the cover of drones.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lucky’s left upper arm bone, or humerus, and Lucky II’s right upper arm bone both show a clean, slanted fracture, suggesting they were twisted by powerful wind gusts.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
19 Sep. 2025
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On the day of the accident, a wind advisory was in effect, with peak wind gusts around 45-55 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Louisville.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The astonishing Laanstra-Corn does not play Hedvig purely as an innocent; there’s something as dangerous and emotionally labile in her shocked face as there is in Gregers’s explosive outbursts.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
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This can trigger sudden outbursts or aggressive behaviors.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As part of the new study, Knutsen and her team programmed Perseverance's cameras to watch the sky after solar eruptions known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) blasted in the direction of Mars.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Kamchatka sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic activity frequently triggers earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.—
Amanda Castro
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The result is less a rite of passage than a series of disconnected tableaux, dazzling in flashes but never adding up to anything deeper.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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The rookie trio rewarded the coordinator with some individual flashes.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The lawsuits seek money to help communities cope with the risks and harms from global warming, including more extreme storms, floods and heat waves.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
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After years of delays from heavy winter storms, COVID, funding shortfalls, and more fires, crews built a new trail as part of a $2 million upgrade to the park, with impressive new wooden bridges, signs and other amenities, completing the project in 2021.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gales. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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