a reedlike plant, Zingiber officinale, native to South Asia but now cultivated in many tropical countries, having a pungent, spicy rhizome used in cooking and medicine.
any of various plants related to or similar to Zingiber officinale.
the rhizome of Zingiber officinale, ground, chopped, etc., and used as a flavoring.
Informal. piquancy; animation.
There was plenty of ginger in their performance of the dance.
a yellowish or reddish brown.
to treat or flavor with ginger, the spicy rhizome of the Zingiber officinale plant.
Informal. to impart piquancy or spirit to; enliven (usually followed byup ).
to ginger up a talk with a few jokes.
any of several zingiberaceous plants of the genus Zingiber, esp Z. officinale of the East Indies, cultivated throughout the tropics for its spicy hot-tasting underground stem See also galangal Compare wild ginger
the underground stem of this plant, which is used fresh or powdered as a flavouring or crystallized as a sweetmeat
any of certain related plants
a reddish-brown or yellowish-brown colour
( as adjective )
ginger hair
informal liveliness; vigour
informal a person with ginger hair
First recorded before 1000; Middle English ginger, gingivere from Old French gingivre, from Latin gingiber, for zingiberi from Greek zingíberis; replacing Old English gingiber from Latin, as above
Ginger is a plant with a thick root that's used to spice food. You can make homemade ginger ale using grated ginger. Ginger is an important spice all over the world, appearing in things like ginger beer, ginger bread, many Indian dishes, Chinese food, and ginger tea. Since ginger is native to South Asia, it's most commonly found in countries on that continent. Many people use ginger as a home remedy or medicine, as well as a food. In Britain, and increasingly in the US, it's common to describe red hair as ginger.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Because ginger is not native to Hawaii, the shared preference raises new questions about the spiders' evolutionary history.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
But I gamely soldiered back into the sunlight and onto the pathways that line the National Mall, each ginger step kicking up dust.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
A special “Chef’s Table” meal featured pumpkin and ginger soup, a duo of rock lobster and beef tenderloin, and a carrot panna cotta dessert, Moraes posted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Silver Diner, which has locations across the Mid-Atlantic states, offers a free-range turkey platter with rosemary-sage gravy and ginger cranberry-orange sauce on its kids’ menu.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
Two more came through one of the doors, a ginger and a tortoiseshell.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Meanwhile, his brother Jason talked about the pressure on the couple during an appearance on Andrew Santino's Whiskey Ginger podcast.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
The tall stems of daisies bend above the delicate petals of peonies on a Raspberry Yogurt Basil Cake; a single nasturtium blossom tops an Earl Grey Butterfly Pea Ginger Mini Cake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The kidney stone measured between two and three centimetres and had been caused, Ginger was told, by the cocktail of daily supplements she was taking.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
It took several months for Ginger to recover from the operation to remove the kidney stone.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
“So we have our four-by-four,” Jacqui says, and turns to Psycho Ginger beside her.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
