grease

[ noun grees; verb grees, greez ]

/ noun gris; verb gris, griz /

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.

Nearby words

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 forms

grease·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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Great care is used in cleaning substances to be plated, all dirt and grease being carefully removed.
Things a Boy Should Know About Electricity|Thomas M. (Thomas Matthew) St. John
The grease of the fox and the marrow are good for the hardening of sinews.
The Master of Game|Second Duke of York, Edward
The sunburnt face, puckered with a wry wistfulness, was only comic in its incongruous coat of grease.
No Hero|E.W. Hornung
The ordinary behaviour is evidently the result of a film of grease, which adheres with great obstinacy.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3|Various
A shirt was provided for me, painted with vermilion, mixed with grease.
The American Indians|Henry R. Schoolcraft

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

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.

grease

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

grease

noun

verb (used with object), greased, greasing.

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of grease

Examples from the Web for grease

grease

noun (ɡriːs, ɡriːz)

verb (ɡriːz, ɡriːs) (tr)

Word Origin for grease

grease

grease

grease