gird

[ gurd ]

See synonyms for gird on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),gird·ed or girt, gird·ing.

to encircle or bind with a belt or band.
to surround; enclose; hem in.

to prepare (oneself) for action: He girded himself for the trial ahead.
to provide, equip, or invest, as with power or strength.

Origin of gird

before 950; Middle English girden,Old English gyrdan; cognate with German gürten

Other words for gird

3	brace, steel, fortify, strengthen

See synonyms for gird on Thesaurus.com

Other words from gird

gird·ing·ly, adverb

Other definitions for gird (2 of 2)

gird²

[ gurd ]

verb (used without object)

to gibe; jeer (usually followed by at).

verb (used with object)

to gibe or jeer at; taunt.

noun

a gibe.

Origin of gird

1175–1225; Middle English gyrd a stroke, blow, hence a cutting remark, derivative of girden to strike, smite < ?

Other words from gird

gird·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gird in a sentence

But then the sword is miraculously returned to him, and he girds for battle once again.
Meet Moses the Swashbuckling Israelite | James Romm | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Upon none more so than he, who shoulders his musket, girds on his sword, and faces the enemy on to the charge.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States | Martin R. Delany
A scarf of Oriental silk, fringed with pearls, girds her supple and well-shaped waist.
The Iron Trevet or Jocelyn the Champion | Eugne Sue
The second treasure he possesses is Megingjarder (belt of strength); when he girds himself with it his strength is doubled.
The Younger Edda | Snorre
It is an island that floats (as it were) upon the sea, 83 iron bound with a wall that girds it.
The Odyssey | Homer

It is its characteristic that it constantly girds a man—or a poet—and carries him whither he would not.
The Oxford Book of Latin Verse | Various

British Dictionary definitions for gird (1 of 3)

gird¹

/ (ɡɜːd) /

verbgirds, girding, girded or girt (tr)

to put a belt, girdle, etc, around (the waist or hips)
to bind or secure with or as if with a belt: to gird on one's armour

to surround; encircle
to prepare (oneself) for action (esp in the phrase gird (up) one's loins)
to endow with a rank, attribute, etc, esp knighthood

Origin of gird

Old English gyrdan, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse gyrtha, Old High German gurten

British Dictionary definitions for gird (2 of 3)

gird²

/ (ɡɜːd) Northern English dialect /

verb

(when intr, foll by at) to jeer (at someone); mock
(tr) to strike (a blow at someone)

(intr) to move at high speed

noun

- a blow or stroke
- a taunt; gibe
a display of bad temper or anger (esp in the phrases in a gird; throw a gird)

Origin of gird

C13 girden to strike, cut, of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for gird (3 of 3)

gird³

/ (ɡɪrd) /

noun

Scot a hoop, esp a child's hoop: Also: girr

Origin of gird

a Scot variant of girth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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