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• gi
  gi

  noun

  a lightweight, two-piece, usually white garment worn by barefooted martial-arts participants, consisting of loose-fitting pants and a wraparound jacket with cloth belt.
• Gi
  Gi

  gilbert; gilberts.
• GI
  GI

  noun

  a member or former member of the U.S. armed forces, especially an enlisted soldier.
• gi.
  gi.

  abbreviation

  gill; gills.
• G.I.
  G.I.

  abbreviation

  galvanized iron.

gi

¹ American  

[gee] / gi /

Or gie

noun

1. a lightweight, two-piece, usually white garment worn by barefooted martial-arts participants, consisting of loose-fitting pants and a wraparound jacket with cloth belt.

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Gi ² American  

1. gilbert; gilberts.

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GI ³ American  

[jee-ahy] / ˈdʒiˈaɪ /

Or G.I.

noun

GI's, plural GIs plural

1. a member or former member of the U.S. armed forces, especially an enlisted soldier.

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adjective

1. rigidly adhering to military regulations and practices; regimented; spit-and-polish.

   a platoon leader who tried to be more GI than anyone else.

2. of a standardized style or type issued by the U.S. armed forces.

   GI shoes; GI blankets.

3. conforming to the regulations or practices of the U.S. armed forces.

   Every recruit must get a GI haircut.

4. of, relating to, or characteristic of a U.S. enlisted person.

   a typical peacetime GI complaint.

verb (used with object)

GI'd, GI'ing

1. to clean in preparation for inspection.

   to GI the barracks.

verb (used without object)

GI'd, GI'ing

1. to follow military regulations and customs closely; shape up.

   You'd better learn to GI if you want to be promoted.

gi. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. gill; gills.

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G.I. ⁵ American  

Also g.i.

abbreviation

1. galvanized iron.

2. gastrointestinal.

3. general issue.

4. government issue.

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GI ¹ British  

noun

1. a soldier in the US Army, esp an enlisted man

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adjective

1. conforming to US Army regulations; of standard government issue

GI ² British  

abbreviation

1. gastrointestinal

2. glycaemic index

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Gi ³ British  

abbreviation

1. gilbert

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gi ⁴ British  

/ ɡiː /

noun

1. a loose-fitting white suit worn in judo, karate, and other martial arts

   a karate gi

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gi ⁵ British  

abbreviation

1. Gibraltar

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• GI's
  plural
• GIs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gi¹

1970–75; shortening of Japanese jūdō-gi jujitsu garb, equivalent to jūdō judo + -gi, combining form of ki to wear

Origin of GI³

1915–20; originally abbreviation of galvanized iron, used in U.S. Army bookkeeping in entering articles (e.g., trash cans) made of it; later extended to all articles issued (as an assumed abbreviation of government issue ) and finally to soldiers themselves

Example Sentences

Cigarroa, 28, could have tapped his G.I. benefits, which cover up to $30,000 in tuition and fees for veterans, but he wants to save those for his 3-year-old daughter to use someday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Those all happened to be well-known ’80s titles such as Image’s G.I.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2025

I grew up in the 1980s watching the G.I.

From Salon • Aug. 12, 2024

It's been stopped in its tracks by a type of vortex first described in the 1920s by a brilliant physicist, Sir G.I.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2024

With sudden inspiration, Gerald shouted, “Hey Joe, we got a torch!” as he and G.I.

From "Forged by Fire" by Sharon M. Draper