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Glite Dictionary
to gallop across

to gallop across

1 3.5
To move very fast across the ground like a horse
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈɡæləp əˈkrɔs/
translation icon : galopar por
  • He gives the dog a quick pat, leaps on his bike, and like a young horseman, gallops across the lawn and back into the street.
  • a horse galloping across
  • galloping across the desert
  • galloped across the field

Examples

  • Though she walked on tiptoe, she could hardly keep from dancing, almost galloping across the floor.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The jockey urged the horse to gallop across the finish line ahead of the competition.

  • I saw you galloping across the mountains.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • ANGLE ON: The horse gallops across the plain and comes to a stop in front of Gandalf.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The Riffs take off, galloping across the desert dragging Luther.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I was seized and flung across the saddle of his white charger, and we galloped across the desert to the sunset of my maidenhood.

    Basement Jack (2010)

  • How he deserted her, how he took away what she had with him, like that moment when she'd galloped across the meadow, Frank calling behind her, and she kept riding until the sound of his voice trickled away like water, and then she rode farther.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Dekar turned from the window, then spun quickly back as he heard the hard and urgent drumming of hooves on wood, the grunt and pant of a horse mercilessly driven as it galloped across the bridge that connected the island to the eastern forest.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • As the storm approached, the horses began to gallop across the open field to find shelter.

  • She watched in awe as the majestic stallion galloped across the meadow, its mane flowing in the wind.

Synonyms

to gallop
vsto gallop across
25 1.9

To move or ride at a horse's fastest speed

is about quick smooth crossing of space rather than the animal's specific gait
to dart across
vsto gallop across
2 3.0

Move suddenly and quickly from one side to the other

is smoother high speed travel rather than sudden quick bursts
to whisk by
vsto gallop across
1 5.1

Move past someone or something very quickly and smoothly

is the general act of moving quickly and smoothly across space
to zoom along
vsto gallop across
1 3.9

To move very quickly along a road or path

focuses on moving fast across open space smoothly not only along paths
to rush along
vsto gallop across
1 2.7

To move quickly in one direction

is smoother and more continuous high speed movement across space
to pelt along
vsto gallop across
  • Informal
8.0

Move very fast along a street or path

describes smooth high speed crossing rather than hurried or rough motion

Antonyms

to walk
∞ 1.0

To move on foot at a normal speed

crawl
23 1.2

A slow movement made by moving on hands and knees or by dragging the body

How Fast

to gallop across
1 3.5

Surface Forms

gallop across infinitive
galloped across past
galloped across past participle
galloping across present participle
gallops across third person singular

Morphology

gallop + across

The meaning 'to move quickly and smoothly at high speed across a space' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'gallop' (to run or ride at full speed) with 'across' (from one side to another). This is a literal motion verb + directional adverb pattern common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The verb gallop across comes from watching a horse run at full speed: gallop is the fastest horse run and across shows moving over an open area like a field. So it now means 'to move very quickly across a place'.