noun A1 Beginner Common

grass

grahs

Grass (noun) means a common green plant with narrow leaves that covers lawns, fields, and meadows. Example: “The kids ran barefoot through the grass.”

noun

A common green plant with narrow leaves that covers lawns, fields, and meadows.

"The kids ran barefoot through the grass."

"He mowed the grass every Saturday morning."

Marijuana (informal).

"The smell of grass drifted from the concert crowd."

British informal: an informer who reports criminals or wrongdoers to the authorities.

"Nobody trusted him after he turned out to be a grass."

verb

British informal: to inform on someone to the police or another authority.

"He grassed on his old gang to avoid a longer sentence."

How to Use Grass

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe green plant covering lawns and fields; also slang for marijuana or, in British English, for a police informer.

When to use it

The informer and marijuana senses are informal/slang; the plant sense is the neutral everyday meaning.

Common pairings

cut the grass touch grass grass on someone

Word Forms

grassed past tense, grasses plural, grasses singular

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The kids ran barefoot through the _____.

Etymology

From Old English græs, an ancient word going back to a root meaning "to grow" — related to "green" and "grow".

Origin: Old English

Synonyms

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turf lawn sod sward herbage pasture

Related Words

field ground yard lawn manor turf lea meadow

Rhymes for grass

mass pass bass dass lass sass Cass Kass brass class glass amass

See all rhymes for grass →

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “grass” mean?

The word “grass” means a common green plant with narrow leaves that covers lawns, fields, and meadows. In plain terms, the green plant covering lawns and fields; also slang for marijuana or, in British English, for a police informer.

How do you pronounce “grass”?

“Grass” is pronounced grahs ([ɡɹ̠æs] in IPA).

How do you use “grass” in a sentence?

Here is “grass” used in a sentence: “The kids ran barefoot through the grass.”

What part of speech is “grass”?

Depending on how it is used, “grass” can be a noun and a verb.

Where does the word “grass” come from?

The word “grass” comes from Old English. From Old English græs, an ancient word going back to a root meaning "to grow" — related to "green" and "grow".

Is “grass” a common word?

“Grass” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

How many meanings does “grass” have?

“Grass” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a common green plant with narrow leaves that covers lawns, fields, and meadows.

What is the difference between grass and turf?

Grass is the plant itself — a common green plant with narrow leaves that covers lawns, fields, and meadows. Turf refers to grass together with the surface layer of soil held by its roots, often cut into rolls or squares for laying a new lawn. So you plant grass seed, but you lay turf.

Is grass countable or uncountable?

Grass is normally uncountable: you say "the grass is long," not "the grasses are long," when talking about a lawn. The plural form "grasses" is used when referring to different species or types of grass, as in "ornamental grasses."

What is the difference between grass and hay?

Grass is the living green plant growing in lawns, fields, and meadows. Hay is grass that has been cut and dried so it can be stored and fed to animals. In other words, hay starts out as grass but is no longer growing.

Is grass a slang word for marijuana?

Yes, in informal use grass is a slang term for marijuana. This sense is strictly conversational and should be avoided in formal or professional writing, where the standard terms are marijuana or cannabis.

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