noun
gallows
GA-lohz
noun
1
A wooden frame used for hanging condemned prisoners.
"The prisoner was led to the gallows at dawn."
"The old town square once held public gallows."
How to Use Gallows
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe structure used for hanging executions, and by extension anything darkly fatalistic.
Common mistake
"Gallows humor" means joking about grim or fatal situations, not humor about the structure itself.
Common pairings
gallows humor
sent to the gallows
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The prisoner was led to the _____ at dawn.
Etymology
From Old English galga, related to words in other Germanic languages for a pole or gallows frame; the plural-looking form probably refers to the two upright beams.