gray

[ grey ]

/ greɪ /

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adjective, gray·er, gray·est.

of a color between white and black; having a neutral hue.

dark, dismal, or gloomy: gray skies.

dull, dreary, or monotonous.

having gray hair; gray-headed.

pertaining to old age; mature.

Informal. pertaining to, involving, or composed of older persons: gray households.

old or ancient.

indeterminate and intermediate in character: The tax audit concentrated on deductions in the gray area between purely personal and purely business expenses.

noun

any achromatic color; any color with zero chroma, intermediate between white and black.

something of this color.

gray material or clothing: to dress in gray.

an unbleached and undyed condition.

(often initial capital letter) a member of the Confederate army in the American Civil War or the army itself.Compare blue (def. 5).

a horse of a gray color.

a horse that appears white but is not an albino.

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become gray.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Also especially British, grey .

Origin of gray

First recorded before 900; Middle English grei, grai, Old English grǣg, grēg; cognate with German grau, Old Norse grār

OTHER WORDS FROM gray

grayly; especially British, greyly, adverbgrayness; especially British, greyness, nounun·grayed; especially British, un·greyed, adjective

Words nearby gray

gravure, gravy, gravy boat, gravy train, gravy train, ride the, gray, grayanotoxin, gray area, grayback, graybeard, gray birch

Other definitions for gray (2 of 3)

gray²

[ grey ]

/ greɪ /

noun Physics.

the standard unit of absorbed dose of radiation (such as x-rays) in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the amount of ionizing radiation absorbed when the energy imparted to matter is 1 J/kg (one joule per kilogram). Abbreviation: Gy

Compare rad¹.

Origin of gray

First recorded in 1975; named in honor of Louis Harold Gray (1905–65), English radiobiologist

Other definitions for gray (3 of 3)

Gray

[ grey ]

/ greɪ /

noun

A·sa

[ey-suh], /ˈeɪ sə/, 1810–88, U.S. botanist.

Robert, 1755–1806, U.S. explorer and sea captain: discovered the Columbia River.

Thomas, 1716–71, English poet.

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

GRAY VS. GREY

What’s the difference between gray and grey?

Gray and grey 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 gray is much more common in American English, while grey is more common in British 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 gray and grey.

Quiz yourself on gray vs. grey!

True or False?

The words gray and grey are always used to refer to slightly different colors.

How to use gray in a sentence

Initially its green hydrogen will replace some gray hydrogen—as natural-gas-derived hydrogen is sometimes called—used at the refinery.
Cheap renewables could make green hydrogen a practical replacement for fossil fuels|Katie McLean|February 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
When I visited Frank Keutsch in the fall of 2019, he walked me down to the lab, where the tube, wrapped in gray insulation, ran the length of a bench in the back corner.
A first-of-its-kind geoengineering experiment is about to take its first step|Emily Luong|February 19, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The other story is that you inherited a great, if, you know, slightly graying company, and tried to remake it in your image and wound up destroying it with a series of bad acquisitions and bad decisions.
Jeff Immelt Knows He Let You Down (Ep. 452)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 18, 2021|Freakonomics
They’ll still show up in your apps for 30 days after your subscription expires—grayed out and inaccessible—just in case you change your mind and want to sign back up again.
How to hit pause on your music streaming subscriptions|David Nield|February 16, 2021|Popular-Science

At the New York City coronavirus testing site, his friend started chatting with a man with beautiful blue-gray eyes.
What’s sexy in a pandemic? Caution.|Lisa Bonos|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
I lie and nod my head yes while wiping the tears on my gray fleece sleeve.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then the gift card is shopped online in a gray market to collect cold currency.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He was an absolutely gray and insignificant personality,” says Kurnosova.
Russians Plot Exiled Government in Kiev|Anna Nemtsova|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Caller: “He has a gray, gray coat with black sleeves and gray pants on.”
The Cleveland Cops Who Fired 137 Shots and Cried Victim|Michael Daly|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her neon blue hair is teased high with a gray stripe emerging from the front.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Very trim and strong, and confident he looked, with the glow of youth in his cheeks, and the spark of happiness in his gray eyes.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
They nodded at each other when they met, and the gray man showed him a little ship with rigging that took up and down.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
Some hidden magnetism burst from him like an aura, and his cold pasty face and light gray eyes flamed into positive beauty.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
They climbed another dune, and came upon the great gray sea at low tide.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
The gray eyes, once flashing with the light of kindly humor, now softened with sympathy, now glowed with pity.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd

British Dictionary definitions for gray (1 of 3)

gray¹

/ (ɡreɪ) /

adjective, noun, verb

a variant spelling (now esp US) of grey

Derived forms of gray

grayish, adjectivegrayly, adverbgrayness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for gray (2 of 3)

gray²

/ (ɡreɪ) /

noun

the derived SI unit of absorbed ionizing radiation dose or kerma equivalent to an absorption per unit mass of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material. 1 gray is equivalent to 100 radsSymbol: Gy

Word Origin for gray

C20: named after Louis Harold Gray (1905–65), English physicist

British Dictionary definitions for gray (3 of 3)

Gray

/ (ɡreɪ) /

noun

Thomas. 1716–71, English poet, best known for his Elegy written in a Country Churchyard (1751)

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

Scientific definitions for gray

gray

[ grā ]

The SI derived unit used to measure the energy absorbed by a substance per unit weight of the substance when exposed to radiation. One gray is equal to one joule per kilogram, or 100 rads. The gray is named after British physicist Louis Harold Gray (1905-1965).

Other Idioms and Phrases with gray

gray

In addition to the idioms beginning with gray

gray area
gray matter

also see:

get gray hair from

gray

Origin of gray

OTHER WORDS FROM gray

Words nearby gray

Other definitions for gray (2 of 3)

Origin of gray

Other definitions for gray (3 of 3)

GRAY VS. GREY

What’s the difference between gray and grey?

Quiz yourself on gray vs. grey!

Words related to gray

How to use gray in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gray (1 of 3)

Derived forms of gray

British Dictionary definitions for gray (2 of 3)

Word Origin for gray

British Dictionary definitions for gray (3 of 3)

Scientific definitions for gray

Other Idioms and Phrases with gray