gallop

UK: /ˈgæləp/ US: /ˈgæləp/ ,(gal′əp)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

gal•lop /ˈgæləp/   v. 

1. to ride (a horse) at full speed: [no object]
   The rider galloped away.
   [~ + object]
   The cavalry galloped their horses for hours.
2. to run at a gallop:
   [no object] The horses galloped away.
3. to race;
   hurry:
   [no object] She galloped out of the house.

n. [countable]

4. a fast manner of moving for a horse or other four-legged animal in which, during each stride, all four feet are off the ground at once.
5. a run or ride at this pace:
   an early morning gallop.
6. a rapid rate of proceeding:
   working at a gallop.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

gal•lop  (gal′əp), v.i. 

1. to ride a horse at a gallop;
   ride at full speed:
   They galloped off to meet their friends.
2. to run rapidly by leaps, as a horse;
   go at a gallop.
3. to go fast, race, or hurry, as a person or time.

v.t. 

4. to cause (a horse or other animal) to gallop.

n. 

5. a fast gait of the horse or other quadruped in which, in the course of each stride, all four feet are off the ground at once.
6. a run or ride at this gait.
7. a rapid rate of going.
8. a period of going rapidly.

• Frankish *wala hlaupan to run well (see well¹, leap) or, alternatively, verb, verbal derivative of *walhlaup, equivalent. to *wal battlefield (cognate with Old High German wal; see Valkyrie) + *hlaup run, course (derivative of the verb, verbal)
• Old French galoper
• late Middle English galopen (verb, verbal) 1375–1425

gal′lop•er, n. 
Synonyms

• 3. run, rush, dash, speed, fly, scoot.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

gallop / ˈɡæləp/ verb ( -lops, -loping, -loped)

1. (intransitive) (of a horse or other quadruped) to run fast with a two-beat stride in which all four legs are off the ground at once
2. to ride (a horse, etc) at a gallop
3. (intransitive) to move, read, talk, etc, rapidly; hurry

noun

1. the fast two-beat gait of horses and other quadrupeds
2. an instance of galloping

Etymology: 16th Century: from Old French galoper, of uncertain origin

ˈgalloper noun