group

[ groop ]

noun

1. any collection or assemblage of persons or things; cluster; aggregation:

   a group of protesters; a remarkable group of paintings.

2. a number of persons or things ranged or considered together as being related in some way.
3. Also called radical. Chemistry. two or more atoms specifically arranged, as the hydroxyl group, –OH. Compare free radical.
4. Linguistics.
   1. (in the classification of related languages within a family) a category of a lower order than a subbranch and of a higher order than a subgroup:

      the Low German group of West Germanic languages.

   2. any grouping of languages, whether it is made on the basis of geography, genetic relationship, or something else.
5. Geology. a division of stratified rocks comprising two or more formations.
6. Military.
   1. Army. a flexible administrative and tactical unit consisting of two or more battalions and a headquarters.
   2. Air Force. an administrative and operational unit subordinate to a wing, usually composed of two or more squadrons.
7. Music. a section of an orchestra comprising the instruments of the same class.
8. Art. a number of figures or objects shown in an arrangement together.
9. Mathematics. an algebraic system that is closed under an associative operation, as multiplication or addition, and in which there is an identity element that, on operating on another element, leaves the second element unchanged, and in which each element has corresponding to it a unique element that, on operating on the first, results in the identity element.
10. Grammar (chiefly British). a phrase:

    nominal group; verbal group.

verb (used with object)

1. to place or associate together in a group, as with others.
2. to arrange in or form into a group or groups.

   Synonyms: combine, classify, organize, order

verb (used without object)

1. to form a group.
2. to be part of a group.

group

/ ɡruːp /

noun

1. a number of persons or things considered as a collective unit
2. 1. a number of persons bound together by common social standards, interests, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      group behaviour

3. a small band of players or singers, esp of pop music
4. a number of animals or plants considered as a unit because of common characteristics, habits, etc
5. See phrase
   grammar another word, esp in systemic grammar, for phrase
6. an association of companies under a single ownership and control, consisting of a holding company, subsidiary companies, and sometimes associated companies
7. two or more figures or objects forming a design or unit in a design, in a painting or sculpture
8. a military formation comprising complementary arms and services, usually for a purpose

   a brigade group

9. an air force organization of higher level than a squadron
10. See free radical
    Also calledradical chem two or more atoms that are bound together in a molecule and behave as a single unit Compare free radical

    a methyl group -CH3

11. See period
    a vertical column of elements in the periodic table that all have similar electronic structures, properties, and valencies Compare period
12. geology any stratigraphical unit, esp the unit for two or more formations
13. maths a set that has an associated operation that combines any two members of the set to give another member and that also contains an identity element and an inverse for each element
14. See blood group
    See blood group

verb

1. to arrange or place (things, people, etc) in or into a group or (of things, etc) to form into a group

group

/ gro̅o̅p /

1. Chemistry.
   1. Two or more atoms that are bound together and act as a unit in a number of chemical compounds, such as a hydroxyl (OH) group.
   2. In the Periodic Table, a vertical column that contains elements having the same number of electrons in the outermost shell of their atoms. Elements in the same group have similar chemical properties.
2. Mathematics.
   A set with an operation whose domain is all ordered pairs of members of the set, such that the operation is binary (operates on two elements) and associative, the set contains the identity element of the operation, and each element of the set has an inverse element for the operation. The positive and negative integers and zero form a set that is a group under the operation of ordinary addition, since zero is the identity element of addition and the negative of each integer is its inverse. Groups are used extensively in quantum physics and chemistry to model phenomena involving symmetry and invariance.

Grammar Note

See collective noun.

Other Words From

• groupwise adverb
• super·group noun
• un·grouped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of group¹

First recorded in 1665–75; from French groupe, from Italian gruppo, ultimately from Germanic

Word History and Origins

Origin of group¹

C17: from French groupe, of Germanic origin; compare Italian gruppo; see crop

Example Sentences

Her assistant would send the seating chart to officials across the administration, who in turn would consult with her about the workings of the group and Pence.

From Washington Post

“We will never go back to normal,” said Rachel Mushahwar, vice president of the sales, marketing, and communications group at Intel.

From Fortune

Indeed, the group has rebounded since the initial drop in early September, showing that the Apples and Teslas may once again be on the march.

From Fortune

Meanwhile, the former vice president holds a clear advantage — 51 percent to 41 percent — on the question of who is more trusted to provide equal treatment of racial groups.

From Washington Post

Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement the American Principles Project is a “hate group” and commended Facebook for its action.

From Washington Blade

Before anti-vaxxers, there were anti-fluoriders: a group who spread fear about the anti-tooth decay agent added to drinking water.

From The Daily Beast

Asian-Americans are a group of persuadable swing voters, growing faster than any other group in America today.

From The Daily Beast

Latinos, the fastest growing minority group in America, are even more underrepresented in Congress.

From The Daily Beast

Yet only 24 percent of the 3,892 femicides the group identified in 2012 and 2013 were looked at by authorities.

From The Daily Beast

Though tissues are present and tears are not uncommon, the Dinner Parties are distinctly not grief counseling or group therapy.

From The Daily Beast

Fully two miles away, on the south side of the ravine, were the sepoy lines, and another group of isolated bungalows.

From Project Gutenberg

By far the most important of the conjugate sulphates and representative of the group is potassium indoxyl sulphate.

From Project Gutenberg

Louis could not help seeing the lovely group, through the half-obscuring draperies of the open door.

From Project Gutenberg

Each little family group had had its say and exchanged its domestic gossip earlier in the evening.

From Project Gutenberg

Who has patience for the recapitulation of a string of names, when a group of faces may be placed simultaneously before him?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• arrange
• gather
• meet
• organize