grime

[grahym]

See more synonyms for grime on Thesaurus.com

noun

dirt, soot, or other filthy matter, especially adhering to or embedded in a surface.
a style of music influenced by rap, ragga, etc., and characterized by lyrics and imagery that reference the dark side of urban life.

verb (used with object), grimed, grim·ing.

to cover with dirt; make very dirty; soil.

Origin of grime

1250–1300; Middle English grim; apparently special use of Old English grīma ‘mask’, to denote layer of dust; compare dialectal Dutch grijm

Related formsun·grimed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for grime

Contemporary Examples

Cars have national attributes and GM wants their luxury line to grab the glitz of New York instead of the grime of Detroit.
Nationalism on Four Wheels
Clive Irving
October 18, 2014
Restorers completed a 12-year project in 1998 that cleaned decades of grime from the ceiling.
Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years, 100 Facts
Sarah Begley
February 1, 2013
That grime came from the cigarette smoke of millions of commuters.
Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years, 100 Facts
Sarah Begley
February 1, 2013
“I am looking to get into the grime rap UK scene,” he told The Sun.
Harry Potter Hip-Hop
Jaimie Etkin
July 13, 2011

Historical Examples

The grime was perpetually renewed; scrubbing only ground it in.
Alice Adams
Booth Tarkington
Winford, foul with grime and his clothing torn to rags, stood there.
The Space Rover
Edwin K. Sloat
It was like beholding a dainty flower in the grime and brutality of the branding pen.
Hidden Water
Dane Coolidge
It is just a sordid affair of mud, shell-holes, corpses, grime and filth.
War Letters of a Public-School Boy
Paul Jones.
A single diamond glittered from the dirt and grime that soiled her finger.
The Harbor of Doubt
Frank Williams

British Dictionary definitions for grime

grime

noun

dirt, soot, or filth, esp when thickly accumulated or ingrained
a genre of music originating in the East End of London and combining elements of garage, hip-hop, rap, and jungle

verb

(tr) to make dirty or coat with filth

Derived Formsgrimy, adjectivegriminess, noun

Word Origin

C15: from Middle Dutch grime; compare Flemish grijm, Old English grīma mask

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 grime

n.

1580s, of uncertain origin, probably alteration of Middle English grim "dirt, filth" (early 14c.), from Middle Low German greme "dirt," from Proto-Germanic *grim- "to smear" (cf. Flemish grijm, Middle Dutch grime "soot, mask"), from PIE root *ghrei- "to rub." The verb was Middle English grymen (mid-15c.) but was replaced early 16c. by begrime.

grime

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}grime

Related Words

Examples from the Web for grime

Contemporary Examples

Cars have national attributes and GM wants their luxury line to grab the glitz of New York instead of the grime of Detroit.

Restorers completed a 12-year project in 1998 that cleaned decades of grime from the ceiling.

That grime came from the cigarette smoke of millions of commuters.

“I am looking to get into the grime rap UK scene,” he told The Sun.

Historical Examples

The grime was perpetually renewed; scrubbing only ground it in.

Winford, foul with grime and his clothing torn to rags, stood there.

It was like beholding a dainty flower in the grime and brutality of the branding pen.

It is just a sordid affair of mud, shell-holes, corpses, grime and filth.

A single diamond glittered from the dirt and grime that soiled her finger.

grime

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for grime

n.

Origin of grime