GALLON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does gallon mean? 

• GALLON (noun)
  The noun GALLON has 2 senses:

1. United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

2. a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 quarts or 4.545 liters

  Familiarity information: GALLON used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GALLON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

gal; gallon

Hypernyms ("gallon" is a kind of...):

United States liquid unit (a liquid unit officially adopted in the United States Customary System)

Meronyms (parts of "gallon"):

quart (a United States liquid unit equal to 32 fluid ounces; four quarts equal one gallon)

Holonyms ("gallon" is a part of...):

barrel; bbl (any of various units of capacity)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 quarts or 4.545 liters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

congius; gallon; Imperial gallon

Hypernyms ("gallon" is a kind of...):

British capacity unit; Imperial capacity unit (a unit of measure for capacity officially adopted in the British Imperial System; British units are both dry and wet)

Meronyms (parts of "gallon"):

quart (a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 2 pints or 1.136 liters)

Holonyms ("gallon" is a part of...):

barrel; bbl (any of various units of capacity)

bushel (a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 pecks)

firkin (a British unit of capacity equal to 9 imperial gallons)

 Context examples 

The US gallon holds 4 liquid quarts; the gallon of water gallon weighs approximately 8.33 pounds.

(Gallon US, NCI Thesaurus)

A traditional (non-SI) unit of volume equal to 1/8 dry US gallon, or approximately 0.550611 liter.

(Dry Pint US, NCI Thesaurus)

A unit of volume equal to 1/2 gallon.

(Half Gallon, NCI Thesaurus)

When I came back the gallon jar was empty, and he lay as you see him, with the board in front of him with this sorry device.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A traditional (non-SI) unit of volume equal to two British gallons, or approximately 9.09218 liters.

(Dry Peck British, NCI Thesaurus)

Gallons of various sizes (predominantly in the range of 3.5 - 4.75 liters) have been used in different countries since Roman times.

(Gallon, NCI Thesaurus)

On a day when she had filled her brood with what was left in the house, Maria invested her last fifteen cents in a gallon of cheap wine.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

A traditional unit of volume equal to 4 Scots quarts, or approximately three British Imperial gallons, or 3.6 US liquid gallons, or 13.63 liters.

(Gallon Scotland, NCI Thesaurus)

"There'll be a check at the post-office, I know, and we'll transmute it into beautiful buckwheat flour, a gallon of maple syrup, and a new pair of overshoes for you."

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The cubic foot holds about 7.4805 US gallons.

(Cubic Foot, NCI Thesaurus)