groove

American  

[groov] / gruv /

noun

1. a long, narrow cut or indentation in a surface, as the cut in a board to receive the tongue of another board tongue-and-groove joint, a furrow, or a natural indentation on an organism.

2. the track or channel of a phonograph record for the needle or stylus.

3. a fixed routine.

   to get into a groove.

   Synonyms:

   pattern, habit, rut

4. Printing. the furrow at the bottom of a piece of type.

5. Slang. an enjoyable time or experience.

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verb (used with object)

grooved, grooving

1. to cut a groove in; furrow.

2. Slang.

   1. to appreciate and enjoy.

   2. to please immensely.

verb (used without object)

grooved, grooving

1. Slang.

   1. to take great pleasure; enjoy oneself.

      He was grooving on the music.

   2. to get along or interact well.

2. to fix in a groove.

idioms

1. in the groove,

   1. in perfect functioning order.

   2. in the popular fashion; up-to-date.

      If you want to be in the groove this summer, you'll need a bikini.

groove British  

/ ɡruːv /

noun

1. a long narrow channel or furrow, esp one cut into wood by a tool

2. the spiral channel, usually V-shaped, in a gramophone record See also microgroove

3. one of the spiral cuts in the bore of a gun

4. anatomy any furrow or channel on a bodily structure or part; sulcus

5. mountaineering a shallow fissure in a rock face or between two rock faces, forming an angle of more than 120°

6. a settled existence, routine, etc, to which one is suited or accustomed, esp one from which it is difficult to escape

7. slang an experience, event, etc, that is groovy

8. 1. jazz playing well and apparently effortlessly, with a good beat, etc

   2. fashionable

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verb

1. (tr) to form or cut a groove in

2. old-fashioned (intr) to enjoy oneself or feel in rapport with one's surroundings

3. (intr) jazz to play well, with a good beat, etc

groove More Idioms  

1. see in the groove.

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Other Word Forms

• grooveless
  adjective
• groovelike
  adjective
• groover
  noun
• regroove
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of groove

1350–1400; Middle English grofe, groof mining shaft; cognate with Middle Dutch groeve, Dutch groef, German Grube pit, ditch; akin to grave ¹

Explanation

A groove is an indentation or rut in something — like the grooves on an old record. Groove is rooted in an old Dutch word for "furrow" or "ditch." And that's just what a groove is: a carved out line, like wheel ruts in a muddy road or the narrow opening that a sliding door moves in. If you can't "find your groove," you feel off track and out of whack. But when you're "in the groove," everything is working smoothly and you've found a good routine. And if someone says "let's groove!", they want to dance.

Example Sentences

Set to a throbbing synth bassline, the song teases fans by interpolating a line from her 1980s classic Into The Groove: "Out here on the dance floor, I feel so free."

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Baum messaged Parke in late February after both were featured in an article on local-news site New York Groove.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Terry McMillan scored a second bestseller with “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” just as the film adaptation of her first, “Waiting to Exhale,” hit movie screens.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

Wearing the corset and chains that defined her breakthrough, she sang "Into The Groove" before a sound problem forced her to ad-lib about her early struggles in New York.

From Reuters • Oct. 15, 2023

When I got there, Mama was curled up on the couch with her nose buried in How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• trench