noun
grime
grym
Grime (noun) means a layer of dirt, soot, or grease that has built up and is hard to remove. Example: “Years of grime coated the old factory windows.”
noun
1
A layer of dirt, soot, or grease that has built up and is hard to remove.
"Years of grime coated the old factory windows."
"Underneath all that soot, dirt and grime is the true beauty of the church in soft shades of sandstone."
"Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime."
— Margery Allingham (1963)
2
A genre of electronic music that developed in London in the early 2000s, blending elements of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop.
"Grime helped launch the careers of several major UK rappers."
How to use grime
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishGround-in dirt and grease, or the British music genre born out of London's underground scene.
Common pairings
caked in grime
a grime artist
scrub off the grime
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- grimes
- Past tense
- grimed
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Years of _____ coated the old factory windows.
Etymology
From Middle English grim, meaning soot or dirt on the face, tracing back to an Old English word for "mask" — dirt-covered skin was once poetically compared to wearing a mask.
Related words
Rhymes for grime
See all rhymes for grime →Frequently asked questions
What does “grime” mean?
The word “grime” means a layer of dirt, soot, or grease that has built up and is hard to remove. In plain terms, ground-in dirt and grease, or the British music genre born out of London's underground scene.
How do you pronounce “grime”?
“Grime” is pronounced grym (/ɡɹaɪm/ in IPA).
How do you use “grime” in a sentence?
Here is “grime” used in a sentence: “Years of grime coated the old factory windows.”
What part of speech is “grime”?
“Grime” is a noun.
Where does the word “grime” come from?
The word “grime” comes from Old English. From Middle English grim, meaning soot or dirt on the face, tracing back to an Old English word for "mask" — dirt-covered skin was once poetically compared to wearing a mask.
How many meanings does “grime” have?
“Grime” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a layer of dirt, soot, or grease that has built up and is hard to remove.
