grease
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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Informal. a bribe.
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Also called grease wool. shorn wool before being cleaned of the oily matter.
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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)
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greases,
present (3rd person singular)
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greased,
past participle, past
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greasing
present participle
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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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Informal. to bribe.
idioms
noun
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animal fat in a soft or melted condition
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any thick fatty oil, esp one used as a lubricant for machinery, etc
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Also called: grease wool. shorn fleece before it has been cleaned
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Also called: seborrhoea. vet science inflammation of the skin of horses around the fetlocks, usually covered with an oily secretion
verb
-
to soil, coat, or lubricate with grease
-
to ease the course of
his education greased his path to success
-
slang to bribe; influence by giving money to
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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greaselessnessnoun
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regreaseverb (used with object)
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greaselessadjective
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greaseproofadjective
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ungreasedadjective
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well-greasedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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greasesimple
-
greasessimple
-
have greasedperfect
-
has greasedperfect
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am greasingprogressive
-
are greasingprogressive
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is greasingprogressive
-
have been greasingperfect progressive
-
has been greasingperfect progressive
Past
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greasedsimple
-
had greasedperfect
-
was greasingprogressive
-
were greasingprogressive
-
had been greasingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing grease
List 3
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"Money"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Ralph's parents grease bottle teats to avoid damaging his mouth and turn his baby-grows inside out to avoid friction from the seams.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Sounds like the place is a grease fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
PCE is a synthetic, colorless liquid that is especially effective at dissolving grease.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
Contrary to what you learned in civics class, the grease that keeps the wheels of American democracy turning isn’t voters, legislation, or donor cash; it’s staffers.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
He rubbed them bright and greased the hinges of the jaws and the springs of the pans with a feather dipped in bear’s grease.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Immigration across countries greases the wheels of cross-border investment.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025
Both are indoor stars: LaFontaine is a dynamic outside hitter with a “robotic arm,” as Pazanti put it, and Sparks is the setter that greases the wheels in the Oilers’ offense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2022
Another 19 billion liters could come from treating fats, oils, and greases with hydrogen.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 22, 2022
He’s working to preserve the Latino culture of rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods even while he secretly greases the wheels for outside developers.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2022
“Now we go back to the Carousel room,” muttered Mr. Nancy, “and old One-Eye buys us all dinner, greases some palms, kisses some babies, and no one says the G-word any more.”
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Held at the 1971 crab derby in Crisfield, Md., it drew less attention than sailboat races, greased pig contests and the crowning of Miss Crustacean.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Wonder what palms Sam Altman greased for Trevor Noah to suggest AI can make a new Rihanna album happen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2025
He greased his path back to power complete with a get-out-of-jail-free card.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2025
But she faded after a chaotic 40km bike leg, which saw several falls on roads greased by morning rain.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024
He has long teeth and a sneer, the greased black hair of a mean man.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Alice spends her days cleaning Lady Jemima’s stinky shoes, sponging her underwear and greasing her long blonde hair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The goal was to coax lapsed vacationers back to America’s sanctum of indulgence, greasing the wheels of a hospitality sector that’s struggled all year long.
From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025
Merlino responded by greasing the poles with restaurant-grade food lubricant.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
And it’s already impacting the broader economy, greasing the wheels of social mobility for some and leaving obstacles for those left out as the cost of living, housing and raising families surge.
From New York Times ● May 14, 2023
His wife stepped in from the kitchen, greasing a muffin tin.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
