noun

greyhound

GRAY-hownd

noun

A slender, long-legged breed of dog bred for speed, used in hunting and racing.

"Greyhounds can reach speeds of over 40 miles per hour."

"They adopted a retired racing greyhound from the shelter."

A fast ocean-going ship, or (capitalized) a long-distance intercity bus operated by Greyhound Lines.

"They took a Greyhound bus across the country to save money."

How to Use Greyhound

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA fast, slim breed of racing dog, or the long-distance bus company named after it.

Common mistake

The name isn't actually about the color grey — greyhounds come in many colors — even though it looks that way.

Word Forms

greyhounded past tense, greyhounds plural, Greyhounds plural, greyhounds singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “greyhound” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ can reach speeds of over 40 miles per hour.

Etymology

From Old English grīghund. Despite appearances, the first part isn't related to the color "grey" — it likely comes from an Old Norse word for a female dog, later reshaped by folk etymology to look like "grey" + "hound."

Rhymes for greyhound

pound wound sound bound found round hound mound abound ground around rebound

See all rhymes for greyhound →