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  • grass
    grass
    noun
    any plant of the family Gramineae, having jointed stems, sheathing leaves, and seedlike grains.
  • Grass
    Grass
    noun
    Günter (Wilhelm) 1927–2015, German novelist, poet, and playwright.
Synonyms

grass

1 American  
[gras, grahs] / græs, grɑs /

noun

  1. any plant of the family Gramineae, having jointed stems, sheathing leaves, and seedlike grains.

  2. such plants collectively, as when cultivated in lawns or used as pasture for grazing animals or cut and dried as hay.

  3. the grass-covered ground.

  4. pasture.

    Half the farm is grass.

  5. Slang. marijuana.

  6. grasses, stalks or sprays of grass.

    filled with dried grasses.

  7. the season of the new growth of grass.


verb (used with object)

  1. to cover with grass or turf.

  2. to feed with growing grass; pasture.

  3. to lay (something) on the grass, as for the purpose of bleaching.

verb (used without object)

  1. to feed on growing grass; graze.

  2. to produce grass; become covered with grass.

idioms

  1. go to grass, to retire from one's occupation or profession.

    Many executives lack a sense of purpose after they have gone to grass.

  2. let the grass grow under one's feet, to delay action, progress, etc.; become slack in one's efforts.

Grass 2 American  
[grahs, grahs] / grɑs, grɑs /

noun

  1. Günter (Wilhelm) 1927–2015, German novelist, poet, and playwright.


Grass 1 British  
/ ɡras /

noun

  1. Günter ( Wilhelm ) (ˈɡyntər). born 1927, German novelist, dramatist, and poet. His novels include The Tin Drum (1959), Dog Years (1963), The Rat (1986), Crabwalk (2002), and Peeling the Onion (2007). Nobel prize for literature 1999

"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

grass 2 British  
/ ɡrɑːs /

noun

  1. any monocotyledonous plant of the family Poaceae (formerly Gramineae ), having jointed stems sheathed by long narrow leaves, flowers in spikes, and seedlike fruits. The family includes cereals, bamboo, etc

  2. such plants collectively, in a lawn, meadow, etc

  3. any similar plant, such as knotgrass, deergrass, or scurvy grass

  4. ground on which such plants grow; a lawn, field, etc

  5. ground on which animals are grazed; pasture

  6. a slang word for marijuana

  7. slang a person who informs, esp on criminals

  8. short for sparrowgrass

  9. informal an exclamation of disbelief

  10. to squander time or opportunity

    1. to retire (a racehorse)

    2. informal to retire (a person)

"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

verb

  1. to cover or become covered with grass

  2. to feed or be fed with grass

  3. (tr) to spread (cloth) out on grass for drying or bleaching in the sun

  4. (tr) sport to knock or bring down (an opponent)

  5. (tr) to shoot down (a bird)

  6. (tr) to land (a fish) on a river bank

  7. slang to inform, esp to the police

"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
grass Scientific  
/ grăs /
  1. Any of a large family (Gramineae or Poaceae) of monocotyledonous plants having narrow leaves, hollow stems, and clusters of very small, usually wind-pollinated flowers. Grasses include many varieties of plants grown for food, fodder, and ground cover. Wheat, maize, sugar cane, and bamboo are grasses.

  2. See more at leaf


grass More Idioms  

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of grass

before 900; Middle English gras, Old English græs; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse, Gothic gras; akin to grow, green

Explanation

That short green stuff all over the front lawn is grass. What could be better than lying in the grass on a summer afternoon, gazing up at puffy clouds in a blue sky? The word grass goes back to a root that means "green." You're probably familiar with the grass in back yards and city parks. There's also the grass that covers pastures, meant for cows and sheep to graze on, and the grass of grasslands, growing wild on every continent except Antarctica. If you express envy, you may hear the phrase, "The grass is always greener on the other side." In other words, somehow other people's lives always seem better.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing grass

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Weeks after the attack, Nasiri went back to the school and found one of Makan’s shoes in the grass.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

But that setback never stopped the remaining humans from pursuing the dream of something we colloquially refer to as touching grass.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

The accidental discovery resulted in Mr. Peper’s purchase of a small townhouse with a perfect view of the North Sea and fairway grass.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Nature recovery officer Naomi Walker, said: "These strips of trees and grass verges might look unassuming, but they can be home to a wide variety of plant species and biodiversity powerhouses if managed correctly."

From BBC • May 2, 2026

I always imagined the countryside would be full of green grass and colorful wildflowers—maybe with a bubbling stream where ducks swim or a red barn to house the horses grazing in a nearby meadow.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller