grease

[noun grees; verb grees, greez]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grease ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

fatty or oily matter in general; lubricant.

Also called grease wool. wool, as shorn, before being cleansed of the oily matter.

Also called grease-heel

[grees-heel] /ˈgrisˌhil/. Veterinary Pathology. inflammation of a horse's skin in the fetlock region, attended with an oily secretion.

Informal. a bribe.

verb (used with object), greased, greasing.

to put grease on; lubricate: to grease the axle of a car.

to smear or cover with grease.

to cause to occur easily; smooth the way; facilitate.

Informal. to bribe.

Idioms

grease someone's palm. palm¹(def 19).

Origin of grease

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

Related formsgrease·less, adjectivegrease·less·ness, noungrease·proof, adjectivere·grease, verb (used with object), re·greased, re·greas·ing.un·greased, adjectivewell-greased, adjective

Can be confusedgrease Greece

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for grease

lubricant, oil, lard, butter, tallow, slick, anoint, corrupt, tamper, fix, influence, entice

Examples from the Web for grease

Contemporary Examples of grease

But at least Obama does seem to genuinely loathe the sucking up required to grease the wheels.
Is Big Money Politics an Overblown Evil?
David Freedlander
August 2, 2014
No longer swimming in the dough, means less money for the adult industry to grease the partnership wheels.
Too Hot for Google: Why The Internet Giant Is Scared of Porn
Aurora Snow
July 12, 2014
The owners can grease a lot of palms with revenues like that.
Al-Sisi’s Egypt Is Worse For Gays Than The Muslim Brotherhood
Bel Trew
June 28, 2014
Their blue jumpsuits are stained with grease, and their hair is expertly wrapped in scarves to keep it out of their way.
Victims No More: Congo’s Badass Women Mechanics
Nina Strochlic
June 6, 2014
Donald Sterling banned for life from the NBA, explosions in Syria kill dozens, 'Grease' on live TV, and more stories from today.
Today in :45 - April 29, 2014
Alex Chancey, Ben Teitelbaum
April 29, 2014

Historical Examples of grease

He was blacker than I was; all smeared with grease and stripped to his waist.
The Underdog
F. Hopkinson Smith
With pitch, gum, or grease, they covered up the cracks or seams.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis
When they are cooked pour off the sauce, skim off the grease and reduce it.
The Cook's Decameron: A Study in Taste:
Mrs. W. G. Waters
Opening the wagon box he drew out a jack and a tin of grease.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
Grease or resin in the water used for washing, is also unfavorable.
Hittel on Gold Mines and Mining
John S. Hittell

British Dictionary definitions for grease

grease

noun (ɡriːs, ɡriːz)

animal fat in a soft or melted condition

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

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

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

verb (ɡriːz, ɡriːs) (tr)

to soil, coat, or lubricate with grease

to ease the course ofhis education greased his path to success

grease the palm of or grease the hand of slang to bribe; influence by giving money to

Derived Formsgreaseless, adjective

Word Origin for grease

C13: from Old French craisse, from Latin crassus thick

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

Word Origin and History for grease

c.1300, from Anglo-French grece, from Old French gresse, craisse "grease, fat" (Modern French graisse), from Vulgar Latin *crassia "(melted) animal fat, grease," from Latin crassus "thick, solid, fat" (cf. Spanish grasa, Italian grassa). Grease paint, used by actors, attested from 1888. Grease monkey "mechanic" is from 1928.

c.1300, from grease (n.). Sense of "ply with bribe or protection money" is 1520s, from notion of grease the wheels "make things run smoothly" (mid-15c.). To grease (someone's) palm is from 1580s. Expression greased lightning, representing something that goes very fast, is American English, by 1832.

Idioms and Phrases with grease

grease

In addition to the idioms beginning with grease

grease someone's palm
grease the wheels

also see:

elbow grease
like greased lightning
squeaky wheel gets the grease