grime

[ grahym ]

/ graɪm /

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.

Nearby words

grimaldi, grimaldi man, grimaldi, joseph, grimaldian, grimalkin, grime, grimes golden, grimes graves, grimhild, grimké, grimké, sarah moore

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for grime

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
That grime came from the cigarette smoke of millions of commuters.
Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years, 100 Facts|Sarah Begley|February 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“I am looking to get into the grime rap UK scene,” he told The Sun.
Harry Potter Hip-Hop|Jaimie Etkin|July 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST

It is even somewhat lamentable, not so much for the presence of grime as because of the absence of any other attraction.
A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2|George Saintsbury
Our shirts from sweat and grime had gotten so dirty and stiff they would almost stand upright.
The Southern Soldier Boy|James Carson Elliott
Jim Tenny paled under his grime; the hand which held the knife clinched.
The Portion of Labor|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
The water streamed from his hat, dripped down his back and neck, splashed him with mud and grime from head to foot.
The Wolves of God|Algernon Blackwood
Winifred recognized him though his face was blackened with powder and grime.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for grime

grime

/ (ɡraɪm) /

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 for grime

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

grime

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.