To gallop means to run very fast, the way a horse runs at its fastest speed. When a horse gallops, all four of its hooves leave the ground at once in a powerful, rhythmic motion. You can hear the thundering thump-thump-thump-thump of hooves hitting the ground as the horse stretches out and races forward.

The word comes from watching horses move. Horses have different speeds: they walk slowly, trot at a medium pace, canter fairly quickly, and gallop at full speed. A galloping horse is breathtaking to watch, moving so fast it almost seems to fly across the ground. Cowboys galloping across the prairie, knights charging into battle, and racehorses thundering toward the finish line are all moving at a gallop.

People use the word for things moving quickly in general. A child might gallop down the hallway with excitement. If inflation is galloping, prices are rising rapidly. When you read a book so engaging you race through it, you might say you galloped through the pages. The word captures that sense of speed, power, and forward momentum, whether it's an actual horse or just the feeling of rushing toward something with energy and purpose.

As a noun, a gallop is this fast way of running, or the sound and rhythm it makes: the gallop of hooves on a dirt road.