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gray
1[grey]
adjective
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.
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.
gray
2[grey]
noun
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
Gray
3[grey]
noun
Asa 1810–88, U.S. botanist.
Robert, 1755–1806, U.S. explorer and sea captain: discovered the Columbia River.
Thomas, 1716–71, English poet.
gray
1/ ɡreɪ /
adjective
a variant spelling (now esp US) of grey
gray
2/ ɡreɪ /
noun
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
Gray
3/ ɡreɪ /
noun
Thomas. 1716–71, English poet, best known for his Elegy written in a Country Churchyard (1751)
gray
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 Word Forms
- grayness noun
- grayly adverb
- grayish adjective
- ungrayed adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of gray1
Origin of gray2
Word History and Origins
Origin of gray1
Idioms and Phrases
Example Sentences
The fact that so many business practices fall into a legal gray area in America is no accident, and arguably a good thing up to a point.
Ash still clings to the windowsills of the gray home in Altadena, nine months after an inferno ripped the community apart.
Picnic in our backpacks, my husband and I hiked in from the Palomarin Headlands — about 2.5 miles — along cliffs where you can spot gray and humpback whales, and shaded paths where dappled shadows dance.
Whether it’s Morton’s perpetually scowling expression in the infrequent cutaways to Brian’s life back home or the on-the-nose emphasis on looming gray clouds, there’s no question a storm is coming.
Celeste reportedly left her home wearing gray pants, a black sweater, a hat and Hello Kitty sandals.
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When To Use
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.
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