gal·lop (g l  p)n. 1. a. A natural three-beat gait of a horse, faster than a canter, in which all four feet are off the ground at the same time during each stride. b. A fast running motion of other quadrupeds. 2. A ride taken at a gallop. 3. A rapid pace: Events were proceeding at a gallop. 4. Medicine A disordered rhythm of the heart characterized by three or four distinct heart sounds in each cycle and resembling the sound of a galloping horse. Also called cantering rhythm, gallop rhythm. v. gal·loped, gal·lop·ing, gal·lops v.tr. 1. To cause to gallop. 2. To transport at or as if at a gallop: gallop the mail to the next station. v.intr. 1. To ride a horse at a gallop. 2. To move or progress swiftly: Summer was galloping by. [From Middle English galopen, to go at a gallop, from Old French galoper, of Germanic origin; see wel-1 in Indo-European roots.] gal lop·er n. |
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