grease

American  

[grees, grees, greez] / gris, gris, griz /

noun

1. the melted or rendered fat of animals, especially when in a soft state.

   She always saves the bacon grease to fry her eggs and potatoes in.

2. fatty or oily matter in general; lubricant.

   The auto mechanic’s overalls were stained with engine grease and motor oil.

   The golfer admitted to using a little grease on the face of his driver to reduce sidespin.

3. Informal. a bribe.

4. Also called grease wool.  shorn wool before being cleaned of the oily matter.

5. Also called grease-heel.  Veterinary Pathology. inflammation of a horse's skin in the fetlock region, accompanied by an oily secretion.

---

verb (used with object)

greased, greasing

1. to lubricate by putting a fatty or oily substance on.

   I think I need to grease my bike chain a little—it’s not moving smoothly.

2. to smear or cover with a fatty or oily substance.

   Grease the baking sheet before spooning the dough onto it.

   In pioneer days they sometimes made windows out of greased paper.

3. to cause to occur easily or smoothly; facilitate.

   Extra incentives were offered to grease the trade deal.

   If it looks like it’ll be an awkward social engagement, he has a stiff drink first to grease the proceedings.

4. Informal. to bribe.

idioms

1. grease (someone's) palm, to bribe.

   The only way to get a permit in this town is to grease the commissioner's palm.

grease British  

noun

1. animal fat in a soft or melted condition

2. any thick fatty oil, esp one used as a lubricant for machinery, etc

3. Also called: grease wool.  shorn fleece before it has been cleaned

4. Also called: seborrhoea.  vet science inflammation of the skin of horses around the fetlocks, usually covered with an oily secretion

---

verb

1. to soil, coat, or lubricate with grease

2. to ease the course of

   his education greased his path to success

3. slang to bribe; influence by giving money to

grease More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing grease

• elbow grease
• like greased lightning
• squeaky wheel gets the grease

---

Other Word Forms

• greaseless adjective
• greaselessness noun
• greaseproof adjective
• regrease verb (used with object)
• ungreased adjective
• well-greased adjective

Etymology

Origin of grease

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English grese, grece, greice from Anglo-French grece, gresse, Old French craisse ( French graisse ) from Vulgar Latin crassia (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin crass(us) fat, thick + -ia noun suffix

Explanation

Grease is the thick oil you use to make a machine work more smoothly. It's also the shiny, slick substance produced by cooking something in fat, like the grease on that fried chicken you made. As a verb, grease means to make something slick and oily so it can move more easily: "You should grease the hinges to stop the door from creaking." As a noun grease is the kind of oil or fat that's solid at room temperature, whether it's the grease you use to repair a car engine or the grease you use to deep fry onion rings. Colloquially, when you grease someone's palm, you offer them money as a bribe.

Example Sentences

Nearby, Luciano Vera sprayed bacon grease from cooking trays before loading them into an industrial dishwasher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Lanier leaned on his down-home Texas folksiness throughout the trial, telling the jury what was on his heart and scribbling with grease pencil on his demonstrative aids.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Patience here prevents grease pockets and keeps the texture even.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

But there was no evidence of a skull fracture or brain damage typically seen in such cases or grease from a vehicle.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

Or, “Beetle, I am taking the comfrey tonic to Joan At-the-Bridge. See you finish boiling the goose grease for ointments.”

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

Related Words

• lard
• lubricant
• oil
• vegetable oil