British
1
as in canyon
a narrow opening between hillsides or mountains that can be used for passage
a narrow gill in the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in brook
a natural body of running water smaller than a river
a narrow but surprisingly deep gill runs the length of the rocky gorge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of gill
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Bigger, badder, ripped to the gills, literally or metaphorically, positive or not, the meaning is understood.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Since then, the hotel has seen everyone from Winston Churchill to Elton John pass through, and rooms are packed to the gills with antiques, tartans, and old photographs.
—Timothy Latterner, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2026
Her nerves and inner paths twist into a lemniscate; her heart, gills, kidneys, osphradium, digestive organs rotate within her body from the left to the right side of her all-important foot.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gill
Noun
The delicate structure of a gill, or the faint tracing of a nerve pathway — features that existed in living animals more than half a billion years ago — preserved with enough clarity for scientists to study them today.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Bigger, badder, ripped to the gills, literally or metaphorically, positive or not, the meaning is understood.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Since then, the hotel has seen everyone from Winston Churchill to Elton John pass through, and rooms are packed to the gills with antiques, tartans, and old photographs.
—Timothy Latterner, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2026
Her nerves and inner paths twist into a lemniscate; her heart, gills, kidneys, osphradium, digestive organs rotate within her body from the left to the right side of her all-important foot.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gill
Cite this Entry
“Gill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gill. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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