Gray
1 Americannoun
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Asa 1810–88, U.S. botanist.
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Robert, 1755–1806, U.S. explorer and sea captain: discovered the Columbia River.
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Thomas, 1716–71, English poet.
adjective
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of a color between white and black; having a neutral hue.
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dark, dismal, or gloomy.
gray skies.
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dull, dreary, or monotonous.
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having gray hair; gray-headed.
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pertaining to old age; mature.
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Informal. pertaining to, involving, or composed of older persons.
gray households.
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old or ancient.
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indeterminate and intermediate in character.
The tax audit concentrated on deductions in the gray area between purely personal and purely business expenses.
noun
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any achromatic color; any color with zero chroma, intermediate between white and black.
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something of this color.
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gray material or clothing.
to dress in gray.
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an unbleached and undyed condition.
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(often initial capital letter) a member of the Confederate army in the American Civil War or the army itself.
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a horse of a gray color.
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a horse that appears white but is not an albino.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
noun
noun
adjective
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
- grayish adjective
- grayly adverb
- grayness noun
- ungrayed adjective
Etymology
Origin of gray1
First recorded before 900; Middle English grei, grai, Old English grǣg, grēg; cognate with German grau, Old Norse grār
Origin of gray1
First recorded in 1975; named in honor of Louis Harold Gray (1905–65), English radiobiologist
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.
Jackson jumps into her gray Nissan Quest minivan that families call the “bus,” shifting into her hourlong driver role.
From Los Angeles Times
Investors could choose to follow the same noise/overreaction paradigm in 2026, which means exiting next year with more gray hair—or less hair altogether.
From Barron's
Investors could choose to follow the same noise/overreaction paradigm in 2026, which means exiting next year with more gray hair—or less hair altogether.
From Barron's
Neves Valente balked at getting into the gray sedan while John was behind him, John told police.
The landscape of his Welsh Decembers is mythically cold and gray.
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.
