noun

graft

grahft

noun

A piece of living tissue, skin, or plant shoot transplanted onto or into another body or plant to grow there.

"The surgeon used a skin graft to help the burn heal."

"The gardener attached a graft from an apple tree to strengthen the rootstock."

Dishonest profit gained through abuse of power, especially in politics or business.

"The scandal exposed years of political graft and bribery."

Hard work, especially informal British usage for effort or labor.

"Building the business from scratch took years of hard graft."

verb

To transplant living tissue or a plant shoot onto another body or plant.

"Doctors grafted skin from her thigh onto the burned area."

How to Use Graft

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDepending on context: transplanted tissue or plant matter, corrupt gain from a position of power, or (in British slang) plain hard work.

UK vs US

"Graft" meaning hard work is common British and Australian slang, much less used in the US, where "graft" usually means corruption or a medical/plant transplant.

Common pairings

skin graft political graft hard graft

Word Forms

grafted past tense, grafted past tense, grafts plural, grafts plural, grafts plural, Grafts plural, grafts singular, grafts singular

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Fill the Gap

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The surgeon used a skin _____ to help the burn heal.

Etymology

From Old French greffe ("stylus"), from Latin graphium, from Ancient Greek grapheion — the shoot was named for its resemblance to a pointed pen.

Synonyms

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attach put together unite imp

Related Words

abandon break build join link adhere imp knot

Rhymes for graft

aft raft daft Taft craft draft shaft Kraft aircraft warcraft overdraft Lovecraft

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attach put together unite imp abandon break build join link adhere knot