gallows
noun
gal·lows
| \ ˈga-(ˌ)lōz
, -ləz, in sense 3 also -ləs\
, -ləz, in sense 3 also -ləs\
plural gallows
or gallowses
Definition of gallows
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a frame usually of two upright posts and a transverse beam from which criminals are hanged
— called also gallows tree
b
: the punishment of hanging
2
: a structure consisting of an upright frame with a crosspiece
gallows
adjectiveDefinition of gallows (Entry 2 of 2)
: deserving the gallows
Examples of gallows in a Sentence
Noun
He was sentenced to death on the gallows.Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Her assignment: The ‘Stick, already consigned to the gallows. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "Oakland Coliseum, Oracle Arena becoming behind-the-curtain tourist traps," 18 Feb. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Not the waking up in the embrace of corpses under a gallows part. — Dana Snitzky, Longreads, "This Month in Books: ‘The Minor Figure Yields to the Chorus’," 13 Aug. 2019 As a lot of people have this gallows sense of humor doing impossibly difficult things. — Gogo Lidz, Newsweek, "Matt Damon Spills About 'The Martian'," 18 June 2015 At the other extreme, William Hooper conjures apocalyptic scenes with a gallows sense of humor. — Michael Upchurch, The Seattle Times, "September gallery highlights: From Antarctic ice to apocalyptic flames," 13 Sep. 2017 However, behind this delightful French treat lies a dark past as Buttes Chaumont was once a former trash dump and gallows ground. — Josh Lee, Vogue, "The Most Beautiful Picnic Spots Around the World," 31 Aug. 2017 Welcome to Braggsville’ Here’s a setup for a gallows-humor joke: — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, "theaterpicks-2," 31 May 2017 Now, amid all the hand-wringing, anger and exasperation, the crisis is bolstering Brazil’s tradition of gallows humor, fueling a mix of satire and existential resignation. — Simon Romero, New York Times, "Their Government in Chaos, Brazilians Fear the Joke Is on Them," 26 May 2017 This week’s bombshell has the feel of gallows humor. — Frank Rich, Daily Intelligencer, "Watching the Downfall of a Presidency in Real Time," 12 July 2017 Journalists, of course, are no strangers to gallows humor and might once have laughed along. — Barbara Starr, CNN, "Media 'jokes' not so funny," 21 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gallows.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for gallows
gallows
noun
English Language Learners Definition of gallows
: a structure on which a criminal who has been sentenced to death is killed by being hanged
See the full definition for gallows in the English Language Learners Dictionary
gallows
noun
gal·lows
| \ ˈga-lōz
\
\
plural gallows
or gallowses
Kids Definition of gallows
: a structure from which criminals are hanged
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