groove

[groov]

noun

1. a long, narrow cut or indentation in a surface, as the cut in a board to receive the tongue of another board tongue-and-groove joint, a furrow, or a natural indentation on an organism.

2. the track or channel of a phonograph record for the needle or stylus.

3. a fixed routine.

   to get into a groove.

   Synonyms: pattern, habit, rut

4. Printing.,  the furrow at the bottom of a piece of type.

5. Slang.,  an enjoyable time or experience.

verb (used with object)

grooved, grooving 

1. to cut a groove in; furrow.

2. Slang.

   1. to appreciate and enjoy.

   2. to please immensely.

verb (used without object)

grooved, grooving 

1. Slang.

   1. to take great pleasure; enjoy oneself.

      He was grooving on the music.

   2. to get along or interact well.

2. to fix in a groove.

groove

/ ɡruːv /

noun

1. a long narrow channel or furrow, esp one cut into wood by a tool

2. the spiral channel, usually V-shaped, in a gramophone record See also microgroove

3. one of the spiral cuts in the bore of a gun

4. anatomy any furrow or channel on a bodily structure or part; sulcus

5. mountaineering a shallow fissure in a rock face or between two rock faces, forming an angle of more than 120°

6. a settled existence, routine, etc, to which one is suited or accustomed, esp one from which it is difficult to escape

7. slang,  an experience, event, etc, that is groovy

8. 1. jazz playing well and apparently effortlessly, with a good beat, etc

   2. fashionable

verb

1. (tr) to form or cut a groove in

2. old-fashioned,  (intr) to enjoy oneself or feel in rapport with one's surroundings

3. (intr) jazz to play well, with a good beat, etc

Other Word Forms

• grooveless adjective
• groovelike adjective
• groover noun
• regroove verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of groove¹

1350–1400; Middle English grofe, groof mining shaft; cognate with Middle Dutch groeve, Dutch groef, German Grube pit, ditch; akin to grave ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of groove¹

C15: from obsolete Dutch groeve, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German gruoba pit, Old Norse grof

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the groove,

   1. in perfect functioning order.

   2. in the popular fashion; up-to-date.

      If you want to be in the groove this summer, you'll need a bikini.

see in the groove.

Example Sentences

Once we started completing some sets then we started to find our groove a little bit and they settled.

Read more on BBC

It’s like a piece of music that keeps switching harmonic structures, not wanting to get stuck in the same groove.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Ellison’s family life seems to have settled into a groove, too.

Read more on Barron's

“Showgirl’s” opening track has a sultry groove and low pulse that could easily be the soundtrack to a flirty nightcap or the series finale of a dark comedy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For the first time in nearly two decades, CBGB, the beloved Lower East Side punk venue, was back in the New York groove, but in a different form and in a new setting.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• trench