grey

¹

[grey]

adjective

greyer, greyest 

1. Chiefly British.,  a variant of gray.

Grey

²

[grey]

noun

1. Charles, 2nd Earl, 1764–1845, British statesman: prime minister 1830–34.

2. Sir Edward Viscount Fallodon, 1862–1933, British statesman.

3. Sir George, 1812–98, British statesman and colonial administrator: prime minister of New Zealand 1877–79.

4. Lady Jane Lady Jane Dudley, 1537–54, descendant of Henry VII of England; executed under orders of Mary I to eliminate her as a rival for the throne.

5. Zane 1875–1939, U.S. novelist.

grey

¹

/ ɡreɪ /

adjective

1. of a neutral tone, intermediate between black and white, that has no hue and reflects and transmits only a little light

2. greyish in colour or having parts or marks that are greyish

3. dismal or dark, esp from lack of light; gloomy

4. neutral or dull, esp in character or opinion

5. having grey hair

6. of or relating to people of middle age or above

   grey power

7. ancient; venerable

8. (of textiles) natural, unbleached, undyed, and untreated

noun

1. any of a group of grey tones

2. grey cloth or clothing

   dressed in grey

3. an animal, esp a horse, that is grey or whitish

verb

1. to become or make grey

Grey

²

/ ɡreɪ /

noun

1. Charles, 2nd Earl Grey. 1764–1845, British statesman. As Whig prime minister (1830–34), he carried the Reform Bill of 1832 and the bill for the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire (1833)

2. Sir Edward, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon. 1862–1933, British statesman; foreign secretary (1905–16)

3. Sir George. 1812–98, British statesman and colonial administrator; prime minister of New Zealand (1877–79)

4. Lady Jane. 1537–54, queen of England (July 9–19, 1553); great-granddaughter of Henry VII. Her father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland, persuaded Edward VI to alter the succession in her favour, but after ten days as queen she was imprisoned and later executed

5. Zane. 1875–1939, US author of Westerns, including Riders of the Purple Sage (1912)

Other Word Forms

• greyly adverb
• greyish adjective
• greyness noun
• ungreyed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of grey¹

Old English grǣg; related to Old High German grāo, Old Norse grar

Idioms and Phrases

see gray.

Example Sentences

When Mr Flowers appeared in court, he wore a grey hoodie with "off the grid" written on it.

From BBC

She arrived at Windsor Castle wearing a wide-brimmed purple hat that seemed to obscure her eyes, which she paired with a timeless dark grey suit by Dior.

From BBC

On the ground floor, mosaics by acclaimed Russian artist Boris Anrep spread along a maze of domed grey and black corridors, with figures and sculptures covering the fixtures and fittings throughout.

From BBC

The second man was also white and wore a grey top with a silver zip.

From BBC

His plea was taken up by the SNP, then in opposition, who demanded the fisheries vessels be classed as military or "grey" ships, thereby excluding foreign competition.

From BBC

When To Use

What’s the difference between grey and gray?

Grey and gray are simply different spellings of the same word, which refers to the color halfway between black and white (among other more figurative meanings).In popular use, the two spellings are used interchangeably, though one spelling is often preferred in many places. The spelling grey is more common in British English, while gray is much more common in American English.Remember: spell gray with an a in America, and spell grey with an e in England (among other places).Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between grey and gray.