groove
Americannoun
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grooves
plural
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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.
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the track or channel of a phonograph record for the needle or stylus.
-
a fixed routine.
to get into a groove.
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Printing. the furrow at the bottom of a piece of type.
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Slang. an enjoyable time or experience.
verb (used with object)
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grooves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grooved,
past participle, past
-
grooving
present participle
-
to cut a groove in; furrow.
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Slang.
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to appreciate and enjoy.
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to please immensely.
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verb (used without object)
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grooves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
grooved,
past participle, past
-
grooving
present participle
-
Slang.
-
to take great pleasure; enjoy oneself.
He was grooving on the music.
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to get along or interact well.
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-
to fix in a groove.
idioms
noun
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a long narrow channel or furrow, esp one cut into wood by a tool
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the spiral channel, usually V-shaped, in a gramophone record See also microgroove
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one of the spiral cuts in the bore of a gun
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anatomy any furrow or channel on a bodily structure or part; sulcus
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mountaineering a shallow fissure in a rock face or between two rock faces, forming an angle of more than 120°
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a settled existence, routine, etc, to which one is suited or accustomed, esp one from which it is difficult to escape
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slang an experience, event, etc, that is groovy
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jazz playing well and apparently effortlessly, with a good beat, etc
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fashionable
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verb
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(tr) to form or cut a groove in
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old-fashioned (intr) to enjoy oneself or feel in rapport with one's surroundings
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(intr) jazz to play well, with a good beat, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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groovesimple
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groovessimple
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have groovedperfect
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has groovedperfect
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am groovingprogressive
-
are groovingprogressive
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is groovingprogressive
-
have been groovingperfect progressive
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has been groovingperfect progressive
Past
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groovedsimple
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had groovedperfect
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was groovingprogressive
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were groovingprogressive
-
had been groovingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of groove
1350–1400; Middle English grofe, groof mining shaft; cognate with Middle Dutch groeve, Dutch groef, German Grube pit, ditch; akin to grave 1
Explanation
A groove is an indentation or rut in something — like the grooves on an old record. Groove is rooted in an old Dutch word for "furrow" or "ditch." And that's just what a groove is: a carved out line, like wheel ruts in a muddy road or the narrow opening that a sliding door moves in. If you can't "find your groove," you feel off track and out of whack. But when you're "in the groove," everything is working smoothly and you've found a good routine. And if someone says "let's groove!", they want to dance.
Vocabulary lists containing groove
Look Both Ways
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A Single Shard
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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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:
He was consistently playing at less than 100%, missing time and never really finding a groove.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Through the muscle pain, mental strain and those loose-fitting uniforms that are shapeless and weirdly flattering, our marriage got its groove back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Using powerful atomic force microscopy, researchers watched short pieces of DNA align with extraordinary precision, matching one another groove for groove.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
The propulsive groove on “Another Life” evokes a thudding drum break pulled from a dusty groove pressed in the early ’70s, as Ms. Howard sings forcefully, moving between a curling falsetto and a feral howl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Bobbito, Manny, and Wayne find a groove; then in comes Madrina's bellowing song about Ochún, the Santería river goddess of love.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
In contrast, the neighboring grooves between these ridges, called sulci, still contained considerable amyloid buildup.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
Computer simulations then revealed what appears to make this close contact possible: positively charged metal ions can settle into the grooves of DNA and serve as tiny molecular bridges between the two molecules.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Dew gathers on their skin and is channelled towards their mouths through microscopic grooves, while their tongues can also collect fog water condensed on plants, sand and rocks.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Heavy on grooves and jams, this album sometimes feels unfocused and indulgent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
After adding two layers of cushioning felt, he cranks the whole “sandwich” through the press itself, forcing the paper into the thin grooves of the plate and dragging out the ink.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Everything was utterly rhythmical, repetitive and perfectly grooved.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
“To an algorithm, a gun barrel and a piece of pipe are the same grooved cylinder,” Jakub Kmošek, head of public affairs at Prusa, said in a statement to The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
On the floors of many valleys and craters, swirling, grooved patterns reveal where icy material once moved during an earlier martian ice age.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2025
Buehler gave up a two-run double to David Peralta and grooved an 0-and-2 fastball to Fernando Tatis Jr., who crushed a rally-capping two-run homer to left-center field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024
I bulldozed blindly through West Virginia, plunged into Pennsylvania and grooved Rocinante to the great wide turnpike.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
On those songs, the percussive combination of Messrs. Hussain and Harland is striking—lively and festive on “Jai Ganga”; slyly grooving on “Tagore”; slow and alluring on “Bharati’s Dance, Tempo Divine.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
He tells Newsbeat he finds creating and attending dance events "just changes something in your brain because you're just there grooving non-stop".
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
People also used the song endlessly, grooving and saying the song makes them want to have their own country love story, while wearing cowboy boots and a matching hat.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2024
The score also plays on the concept of time and uses electronic manipulation for ticking, grooving rhythmic passages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024
A few people start grooving on the makeshift dance floor, which inspires Angela and Hilda to leave the bar area.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
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