gallows
/ˈɡæləʊz/ (bre, ipa) · [ɡˈæloz] /ˈɡæləʊz/ (ame, ipa) · [ɡˈæloz] /ˈga-(ˌ)lōz -ləz in sense 3 also -ləs/ (ame, mw)
gallows — noun
- gallowssingular
- gallowsesplural
1. a tall frame made of wood with a rope that hangs down, built to kill criminals b
a tall frame made of wood with a rope that hangs down, built to kill criminals by breaking their neck when they are dropped from a height
Dario watched the executioner test the gallows early that morning.
The gallows stood at the center of the prison yard for two centuries.
plural form but singular verb
Constanza read an old book about criminals who were sent to the gallows.
No one had used the gallows in that town since the law changed in 1865.
The old wooden gallows creaked under the weight of the heavy rope before the execution.
用法筆記
Gallows looks like a plural noun (ending in -s) but is usually treated as singular: 'The gallows was built in the town square.' When referring to the punishment rather than the physical structure, it can appear without an article after 'sentenced to': 'He was sentenced to the gallows for murder.'
常見錯誤
gallows — adjective
- gallowspositive
- more gallowscomparative
- most gallowssuperlative
1. describing someone who deserves to die by hanging for a serious crime, or someth
describing someone who deserves to die by hanging for a serious crime, or something that relates to the subject of execution — for example, jokes about death are called 'gallows humor'
Nora's gallows humor made her friends laugh during the scary movie.
fixed phrase: gallows humor
In the old legend, the pirate captain was a gallows bird who escaped three times.
compound: gallows bird
Aaron told gallows jokes in the hospital waiting room that made the other patients uncomfortable.
The soldiers developed a gallows sense of humor after months of fighting in the desert.
Tanvi's gallows wit helped her cope with the bad news from the doctor.
用法筆記
This adjective can only be placed before a noun (attributive position). It cannot follow a linking verb — you cannot say 'He is gallows.' The most common compounds are 'gallows humor' (jokes about death or serious situations) and 'gallows bird' (a person who deserves to be hanged).