English dictionary — definitions & meanings

gruntle

verb

To utter small, low grunts.

Grunwald

name

A surname of German origin, also the name of a village in Poland famous for a 1410 battle.

grynszpan

name

A surname from Polish [in turn from Yiddish].

gt

noun

An abbreviation for "drop," used on medical prescriptions to indicate a single drop of liquid medicine.

gtfo

verb

Alternative letter-case form of GTFO.

GTG

abbreviation

Got to go: used to end a conversation quickly in a text or online chat.

GTM

noun

The plan a company uses to launch a product and reach its customers, covering pricing, positioning, sales channels and marketing; short for go-to-market.

GTS

phrase

Go to sleep — used in texting and social media, either as advice to someone up too late or as a sign-off at the end of a conversation.

Gu

name

A Chinese surname, and the name of a county in Shanxi, China.

guacamole

noun

A creamy green dip made from mashed avocado, usually mixed with lime, onion, tomato, and chilli, eaten with tortilla chips or as a topping.

Guadalajara

noun

A major city in central Mexico, capital of the state of Jalisco and one of the country's largest cities.

Guadalcanal

noun

A large island in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific, the site of a major World War II battle between Japanese and American forces.

guadalquivir

name

A river in southern Spain.

Guadalupe

name

A Spanish feminine given name and place name, borne by several towns and cities across Spain and the Americas, often in reference to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

guadiana

name

A major river in Spain and Portugal.

Guam

noun

An island in the western Pacific that is an unincorporated U.S. territory.

guan

noun

A large, pheasant-like bird found in Central and South America.

Guangdong

noun

A large, densely populated province on the southern coast of China, capital Guangzhou.

Guangzhou

noun

A large port city in southern China, capital of Guangdong province.

guano

noun

The droppings of seabirds or bats, especially when collected and used as a fertilizer.

Guantanamo

noun

A city and province in eastern Cuba, also short for the nearby U.S. naval base and its detention camp.

guapo

adjective

Spanish for handsome or good-looking, used of a man or boy. The feminine form guapa describes a woman as pretty or attractive.

guarantee

noun

A firm promise or assurance that something will happen or that a product will work as described.

guaranteed

adj

Promised or certain to happen; backed by a guarantee.

guarantor

noun

A person or organization that agrees to be responsible for someone else's debt or obligation if they fail to pay it.

guaranty

noun

An undertaking to answer for the payment of some debt, or the performance of some contract or duty, of another, in case of the failure of such other to pay or perform; a warranty; a security.

guard

noun

A person whose job is to protect a place, person, or thing.

guarded

adj

Careful and reluctant to reveal much; cautious in speech or manner.

guardedness

noun

The state or condition of being guarded.

guardhouse

noun

A building where guards are stationed, often at the entrance to a base, prison, or estate.

Guardia

name

A surname of Romance-language origin, meaning "guard."

guardian

noun

Someone who protects or watches over a person or thing.

guardianship

noun

The legal responsibility or role of caring for someone who cannot care for themselves, such as a child or an incapacitated adult.

guarding

noun

The act or duty of protecting or watching over someone or something.

Guards

noun

Elite military regiments, especially ceremonial units tasked with protecting a monarch or head of state.

Guatemala

noun

A country in Central America, bordered by Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Guatemalan

adj

Relating to Guatemala or its people.

guava

noun

A tropical fruit with a thin skin and sweet, seedy flesh, or the tree it grows on.

gubbins

noun

Fragments; parings; scraps (especially of fish).

gubernatorial

adjective

Relating to a governor, especially the governor of a US state, or to the office and election of one.

Gucci

noun

A luxury Italian fashion brand, or an item made by it.

guck

noun

The hybrid offspring of a goose and a duck.

gudgeon

noun

A small freshwater fish of species Gobio gobio, native to Eurasia.

guelph

noun

In the politics of medieval Italian city states, any member of a faction that supported the Pope in a long struggle against the Ghibellines and the Holy Roman Emperor.

guenon

noun

A member of the genus Cercopithecus of Old World monkeys, of sub-Saharan Africa, principally forests.

guerdon

noun

A reward, prize or recompense for a service; an accolade.

Guerra

name

A Spanish and Italian surname, meaning "war."

Guerrero

noun

A state in southwestern Mexico, home to the resort city of Acapulco.

guerrilla

noun

A fighter in a small, independent armed group that uses surprise raids rather than open battle, typically against a larger regular army.

guerrillera

noun

A female guerrilla fighter.

guess

verb

To form an answer or opinion without being sure it's correct.

guessing

noun

The act of making guesses.

guesstimate

noun

An estimate that is hardly any better than a guess, often because it is based on insufficient or unreliable data.

guesswork

noun

A conclusion or estimate reached by guessing rather than by solid evidence.

guest

noun

A person who visits or stays at someone's home, or who is invited somewhere.

guesthouse

noun

A small building near a main house used to accommodate visitors.

Guevara

name

A Spanish surname of Basque origin, most famously associated with the revolutionary Che Guevara.

guff

noun

(informal) Nonsense; foolish or empty talk.

guffawing

noun

Loud, hearty laughter.

Guggenheim

noun

Any of several art museums founded by members of the Guggenheim family, most famously in New York and Bilbao.

guggle

verb

To make a sound as of liquid being poured from a small-necked container

gugu

noun

A dated and offensive slang term for a Filipino person.

Gui

noun

A Chinese surname, from Mandarin.

guidance

noun

Help or advice given to someone, often about direction in life or a specific decision.

guide

noun

A person who shows others around a place or leads them along a route, especially one hired for the purpose.

guided

adj

Led, directed, or controlled by someone or something else.

guideline

noun

A non-specific rule or principle that provides direction to action or behaviour.

guidelines

noun

A set of recommendations that tell people how something should be done, offering direction without the force of law.

guidepost

noun

Anything that provides guidance; a guideline.

guiding

noun

The act of leading or directing; guidance.

Guido

noun

A male given name of Italian origin, corresponding to the English name Guy.

guild

noun

An association of people in the same trade or craft, historically formed to protect their shared interests.

guilder

noun

The former currency unit in the Netherlands, divided into 100 cents.

guile

noun

Clever, often sly or dishonest, cunning used to deceive or manipulate.

guiled

adj

Armed with deceit; treacherous.

guileful

adj

Full of guile; treacherously deceptive.

guileless

adj

Free from guile; honest but naive.

Guillaume

noun

A male given name, the French equivalent of William.

guillemet

noun

Either of the punctuation marks « or » (or ‹ or ›), used in several languages to indicate passages of speech. Similar to typical quotation marks used in the English language, such as “ and ”.

guillotine

noun

A device with a tall frame and a heavy angled blade, historically used to carry out executions by beheading.

guilt

noun

The fact of having done something wrong; responsibility for an offense.

guilt trip

noun

A deliberate attempt to make someone feel bad about themselves so that they will do what you want.

guiltily

adv

In a guilty manner; as if guilty.

guiltiness

noun

The state of being guilty; guilt.

guiltless

adj

Free from guilt; innocent.

guiltlessness

noun

The state of being guiltless; innocence.

guilty

adj

Having committed a wrongdoing or crime.

guilty pleasure

noun

Something a person enjoys a great deal while feeling faintly embarrassed about liking it, usually because it is seen as unfashionable, trashy or bad for them.

guimpe

noun

Gimp; a narrow flat braid or reinforced cord of fabric used for ornamental trimming.

guinea

noun

An old British gold coin, later valued at twenty-one shillings, used before decimal currency.

Guinevere

noun

A female given name of Welsh or Celtic origin, famous as the name of King Arthur's wife in Arthurian legend.

Guinness

noun

A brand of dark Irish stout beer, one of the most recognized beer brands in the world.

guise

noun

A false or deceptive outward appearance adopted to hide the truth.

guitar

noun

A stringed musical instrument with a fretted neck and (usually) six strings, played by plucking or strumming.

guitarist

noun

A person who plays the guitar.

Gujarat

noun

A state in western India, known for its coastline, industry, and distinct language and cuisine.

Gujarati

noun

The Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Gujarat.

guk

noun

A category of Korean soups and soup-like dishes.

gul

noun

A flower-shaped medallion design found on Central Asian and West Asian rugs.

gula

noun

The upper front of the neck, next to the chin; the upper throat.

gulag

noun

The Soviet system of forced-labor camps and prisons, especially under Stalin.

gulch

noun

A narrow, steep-sided ravine, often cut by flash floods, shallower than a canyon.

gulf

noun

A large area of sea partly enclosed by land.

gull

noun

A seabird, typically gray or white, common along coasts and often seen scavenging for food.

gullet

noun

The throat or esophagus, the passage food travels down when swallowed.

gullible

adj

Easily fooled, deceived, or persuaded to believe something untrue.

gulliver

noun

Slang for one's head, popularized by the novel and film "A Clockwork Orange."

Gulls

name

The nickname of Torquay United Football Club, an English football club.

gully

noun

A small, narrow channel or ravine cut into the ground by running water, especially on a hillside.

gullyway

noun

A narrow passageway or walkway situated between structures, typically used for access, movement, or drainage.

gulp

verb

To swallow quickly and in large amounts.

gulping

noun

The act of swallowing quickly or nervously.

gum

noun

The firm tissue in the mouth that surrounds the base of the teeth.

guma

name

Synonym of Pishan.

gumball

noun

A round piece of chewing gum, often coated in a hard colored sugar shell.

gumbo

noun

A thick soup or stew from Louisiana, typically made with stock, meat or shellfish, okra, and vegetables.

gumiho

noun

A shape-shifting fox spirit in Korean folklore, often depicted as a beautiful woman who seduces and preys on men.

gummer

noun

A machine or tool used to widen and deepen the gaps between the teeth of a saw blade.

gummi

noun

A chewy, gelatin-based candy, or the sugary gel material used to make it.

gumming

noun

The act of chewing without teeth.

gummy

adjective

Sticky like gum, or covered in a sticky, gum-like substance.

Gump

name

A surname, widely known from the fictional character Forrest Gump.

gumption

noun

Practical common sense and the drive to get things done without being told.

gumshield

noun

A mouthguard to protect the teeth and gums during physical activity.

gumshoe

noun

A private detective (originally so called because rubber-soled shoes let them move quietly).

gun

noun

A weapon that fires bullets or shells using an explosive charge, ranging from handguns to rifles and artillery.

guna

noun

In Hindu philosophy, one of three fundamental qualities said to make up nature and personality: purity, activity, and inertia.

gunboat

noun

A small, lightly armed warship, historically used for coastal patrol or river operations.

Gunderson

name

A surname of Scandinavian origin.

gunfight

noun

A fight in which the people involved shoot at each other with firearms.

gunfighter

noun

Someone skilled at fighting with a gun, especially in the style of the American Old West; a gunslinger.

gunfire

noun

The sound or act of guns being fired, often repeatedly.

gunge

noun

A viscous or sticky substance, particularly an unpleasant one of vague or unknown composition; goo; gunk.

gunk

noun

Any sticky, dirty, or unidentifiable substance.

gunman

noun

A man who carries or uses a gun, especially one committing a crime or attack.

Gunn

name

A Scottish surname derived from Old Norse.

gunned

adjective

Fitted or armed with guns.

gunnel

noun

A small eel-shaped marine fish of the family Pholidae, especially Pholis gunnellus.

Gunner

noun

A soldier who operates artillery or a mounted gun.

Gunners

name

The nickname of Arsenal Football Club, an English Premier League club.

gunnery

noun

The design, science, or practice of firing large guns and artillery.

gunning

noun

The act of firing a gun, or of hunting with one.

gunny

noun

Informal short form of "gunnery sergeant", a rank in the US Marine Corps.

gunplay

noun

The discharge of firearms, usually with violent intent and in confrontations.

gunpoint

noun

At gunpoint: under the threat of being shot, with a gun aimed at someone.

gunpowder

noun

An explosive powder mixture, traditionally made from charcoal, sulphur, and saltpetre, used in firearms and fireworks.

gunroom

noun

A room where guns are stored.

guns

noun

Informal: well-developed arm muscles, especially biceps.

gunsel

noun

Synonym of catamite: a young man kept by an elder as a (usually passive) homosexual partner.

gunshot

noun

The firing of a gun, or the sound it makes.