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• gray
  gray

  adjective

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

  noun

  Asa 1810–88, U.S. botanist.

gray

¹ American  

[grey] / greɪ /

especially British, grey

adjective

grayer, grayest

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

2. dark, dismal, or gloomy.

   gray skies.

3. dull, dreary, or monotonous.

4. having gray hair; gray-headed.

5. pertaining to old age; mature.

6. Informal. pertaining to, involving, or composed of older persons.

   gray households.

7. old or ancient.

8. indeterminate and intermediate in character.

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

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noun

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

2. something of this color.

3. gray material or clothing.

   to dress in gray.

4. an unbleached and undyed condition.

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

6. a horse of a gray color.

7. a horse that appears white but is not an albino.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become gray.

gray ² American  

[grey] / greɪ /

noun

Physics.

1. 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). Gy

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Gray ³ American  

[grey] / greɪ /

noun

1. Asa 1810–88, U.S. botanist.

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

3. Thomas, 1716–71, English poet.

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gray ¹ British  

/ ɡreɪ /

adjective

1. a variant spelling (now esp US) of grey

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gray ² British  

/ ɡreɪ /

noun

1.  Gy.  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 rads

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Gray ³ British  

/ ɡreɪ /

noun

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

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gray Scientific  

/ grā /

1. 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).

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gray Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing gray

• get gray hair from

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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 gray²

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

Explanation

Because the color gray is between black and white — actually a mix of the two — it is often used to denote something dull or monotonous. When the sun comes out after a long stretch of gray days, you suddenly feel alive again. Everybody to the beach! You might feel old when you see your gray hairs, but I think they make you look wise and distinguished. Because gray is dull and indistinct, you can refer to something not quite clear as being "in a gray area." You often find some gray area between right and wrong . . . especially when you are accused of doing something wrong. Don’t worry about the British spelling "grey": it’s interchangeable with the American English spelling.

Example Sentences

Michael Jackson’s estate could’ve existed in this gray area forevermore, letting his memory hover somewhere between genius and joker.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

The two yellow wafers and Ms. Fox’s eyes add conspicuous color to the polished gray stainless-steel components of machinery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

It can appear gray, yellow, brown, or black, but not green.

From Science Daily • Apr. 21, 2026

The impressive gray whales have the longest annual migration of any mammal, travelling an approximate 15,000-20,000km roundtrip to breed.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

Someone had told him about the gray smoke men who lived in the rocks, I knew that.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Related Words

• drab
• dusty
• silvery