English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

grooving

noun

A groove or set of grooves cut into a surface.

groovy

adjective

Cool, stylish, or enjoyable — especially in a retro, 1960s-inspired way.

grope

verb

To feel around with the hands, especially when unable to see clearly.

groping

noun

The act of groping, especially unwanted sexual touching.

gross

adjective

Disgusting or unpleasant.

Grosse

name

A surname of German or French origin.

grossly

adverb

To a very large or serious degree, often in a negative way.

Grossman

name

A surname of German and Ashkenazi Jewish origin, from German Grossmann meaning "big man."

Grosvenor

name

An English surname, historically borne by the Dukes of Westminster.

grotesque

adjective

Strange, distorted, or unnatural, often in a disturbing or ugly way.

grotto

noun

A small cave, or an artificial structure built to look like one.

grouch

noun

A person who complains often or is easily irritated.

grouchy

adjective

Easily irritated and inclined to complain.

ground

noun

The solid surface of the earth.

groundbreaking

adjective

New and innovative; doing something that hasn't been done before.

grounded

adjective

Sensible, realistic, and emotionally stable.

grounder

noun

In baseball or cricket, a ball hit so that it rolls or bounces along the ground.

grounders

noun

A children's playground game where one player, with eyes shut, tries to tag others who must stay off the ground.

groundhog

noun

A stocky, burrowing rodent native to North America, also called a woodchuck.

grounding

noun

Basic knowledge or training in a subject.

groundless

adjective

Not based on any real evidence or reason; baseless.

grounds

noun

Reasons or justification for something.

groundskeeper

noun

Someone whose job is to maintain grounds, such as a sports field or park.

groundwater

noun

Water held underground in the soil or in cracks and pores of rock, feeding wells, springs, and rivers.

groundwork

noun

The basic preparatory work that everything else is built on.

group

noun

A number of people or things considered together because of some shared connection.

grouper

noun

A large, heavy-bodied fish found in warm seas, popular both as a game fish and as food.

groupie

noun

An enthusiastic fan who follows a band or celebrity closely, sometimes seeking a personal connection with them.

grouping

noun

A set of people or things gathered together under some shared category.

grouse

noun

A plump game bird found in moorland and northern regions, often hunted for sport and food.

grout

noun

A thin, fluid mortar used to fill the joints between tiles or gaps in masonry.

grove

noun

A small group of trees, often planted or kept clear of undergrowth.

grovel

verb

To lie or crawl face-down on the ground, often out of fear or submission.

groveling

adj

Excessively submissive or fawning, especially to gain favor.

Grover

name

An English surname originally describing someone who lived near a grove, and a male given name popularized by U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

Groves

name

An English surname, and a city in Texas.

grovy

adj

Full of groves, or having the character of a grove — used to describe leafy, tree-lined land.

grow

verb

To increase in size, amount, or extent over time.

grower

noun

A person or business that cultivates plants or crops.

growing

noun

The process of increasing, developing, or cultivating.

growl

noun

A low, rumbling, threatening sound, especially one made by an animal.

growling

noun

A sustained series of low, rumbling sounds.

grown

adj

Having reached adulthood or full physical maturity.

grr

intj

Used to represent a growling sound or to express anger or frustration.

grrr

intj

A stretched-out version of grr, showing stronger frustration or anger.

GRU

name

The abbreviated name of the GRU, the Russian (formerly Soviet) military intelligence agency.

grub

noun

The soft, worm-like larva of certain insects, especially beetles.

grubby

adj

Dirty or unwashed, especially in a grimy, unpleasant way.

Gruber

name

A surname of German origin.

grudge

noun

A long-held feeling of resentment or ill will toward someone, usually because of a past wrong.

gruel

noun

A thin, watery porridge, historically associated with poverty or illness.

gruelling

adj

Extremely demanding, exhausting, or difficult to endure.

gruesome

adj

Causing horror or disgust, especially through graphic violence or death.

gruff

adj

Rough or brusque in manner or speech, though not necessarily unkind underneath.

grumble

verb

To complain in a low, muttering, discontented way.

Grumbles

name

An English surname.

grumbling

noun

Persistent, low-level complaining.

grump

noun

A person who is habitually irritable or complaining.

grumpy

adj

Easily annoyed and bad-tempered.

grundy

noun

A person who is excessively concerned with policing other people's morals or manners; a prude.

grunge

noun

Dirt or grime, especially the kind that's hard to clean.

grunt

noun

A short, low, snorting sound, often expressing effort, annoyance, or reluctance.

grunting

noun

A series of short, low, snorting sounds.

Grunwald

name

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

gt

noun

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Gucci

noun

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

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.

guess

verb

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

guessing

noun

The act of making guesses.

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.

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.

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.

guile

noun

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

Guillaume

noun

A male given name, the French equivalent of William.

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.

guilty

adj

Having committed a wrongdoing or crime.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.