peanut gallery
noun
1
: the upper balcony of a theater
Carnegie Hall was packed, the balconies rising row on row, full, even to the "peanut gallery."—
Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
also
: a section of cheap seats in a theater or the group of spectators seated there
I don't even get to sit with Megan since she's real high society and I'm just her … fiancée. I'll be down in the peanut gallery with the low-lifes … —John Ringo
John Ringo 2
: a group of critics or commentators likened to spectators in the cheap seats of a theater
But even so, last year's adaptation … reaped more backlash from critics than its pop-blockbuster excellence deserved. The peanut gallery didn't like director Gary Ross's handheld camerawork …—Ross Douthat
Ross DouthatThe announcement that "The Inheritance of Loss" had won the Booker was met (as these announcements always are) with a few gripes from the peanut gallery in Britain.—Dwight Garner
Dwight GarnerExamples of peanut gallery in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Piero’s peanut gallery consists of hot-blooded Eros (Claudio Santamaria), romantic-minded Romeo (Maurizio Lastrico), the rational yet reticent Professore (Marco Giallini) and a wild card called Valium (Rocco Papaleo), who’s the risk taker of the bunch.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 July 2025
Arnold, Azzi Fudd and Kayleigh Heckel had formed a peanut gallery behind the scrum, arms folded.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2025
The peanut gallery was already in training camp form.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 22 June 2025
The online peanut gallery wasn't limited to American spectators.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for peanut gallery
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Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 July 2025
Arnold, Azzi Fudd and Kayleigh Heckel had formed a peanut gallery behind the scrum, arms folded.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2025
The peanut gallery was already in training camp form.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 22 June 2025
The online peanut gallery wasn't limited to American spectators.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for peanut gallery
Cite this Entry
“Peanut gallery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peanut%20gallery. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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