gross

¹ American  

[grohs] / groʊs /

adjective

grosser, grossest

1. without deductions; total, as the amount of sales, salary, profit, etc., before taking deductions for expenses, taxes, or the like (net ).

   gross earnings;

   gross sales.

2. unqualified; complete; rank.

   a gross scoundrel.

3. flagrant and extreme.

   gross injustice.

   Synonyms:

   grievous, heinous, outrageous, absolute, downright

4. indelicate, indecent, obscene, or vulgar.

   gross remarks.

   Synonyms:

   broad, coarse, animal, low

   Antonyms:

   decent

5. lacking in refinement, good manners, education, etc.; unrefined.

6. large, big, or bulky.

   Synonyms:

   great, massive, massive

   Antonyms:

   small, diminutive

7. extremely or excessively fat.

8. of or concerning only the broadest or most general considerations, aspects, etc.

9. Slang. extremely objectionable, offensive, or disgusting.

   He wore an outfit that was absolutely gross.

10. thick; dense.

    gross vegetation;

    gross fog;

    gross vapors.

---

noun

plural

gross, grosses

1. a group of 12 dozen, or 144, things. gro.

2. total income from sales, salary, etc., before any deductions (net ).

3. Obsolete. the main body, bulk, or mass.

verb (used with object)

1. to have, make, or earn as a total before any deductions, as of taxes, expenses, etc..

   The company grossed over three million dollars last year.

verb phrase

1. gross out

   1. to disgust or offend, especially by crude language or behavior.

   2. to shock or horrify.

Gross ² American  

[grohs] / groʊs /

noun

1. Chaim 1904–1991, U.S. sculptor and graphic artist, born in Austria.

---

gross British  

/ ɡrəʊs /

adjective

1. repellently or excessively fat or bulky

2. with no deductions for expenses, tax, etc; total Compare net 2

   gross sales

   gross income

3. (of personal qualities, tastes, etc) conspicuously coarse or vulgar

4. obviously or exceptionally culpable or wrong; flagrant

   gross inefficiency

5. lacking in perception, sensitivity, or discrimination

   gross judgments

6. (esp of vegetation) dense; thick; luxuriant

7. obsolete coarse in texture or quality

8. rare rude; uneducated; ignorant

---

interjection

1. an exclamation indicating disgust

noun

1. a unit of quantity equal to 12 dozen

2. 1. the entire amount

   2. the great majority

verb

1. to earn as total revenue, before deductions for expenses, tax, etc

gross Cultural  

1. Exclusive of deductions, prior to taxation, as in gross income. (Compare net.) Total, aggregate, as in gross domestic product.

---

Usage

What’s the difference between gross and net? In the context of finance and accounting, gross refers to the total amount before any deductions, while net refers to the final amount that remains after deductions have been made. Of course, gross and net are common words with many other meanings, but these senses of gross and net are used in the context of measuring something (especially money) that has been accumulated—profit, income, earnings, gains, etc. The amount described or referred to as gross is everything that has been taken in, not accounting for things like debts, deductions, and expenses. The amount described or referred to as net is how much you have left after you’ve subtracted anything that doesn’t count toward profit, like debts and expenses. In other words, net is basically gross minus whatever you owe or have spent. For this reason, net is always lower than gross. For example, let’s say you decide to sell cupcakes at a bake sale. You spend $15 on ingredients, and you have to rent a table for $5, which equals $20 in expenses. Good news, you make $50 in cupcake sales. Your gross is $50. Minus the $20 in expenses, your net is $30. You could say you grossed $50 and netted $30. To remember the difference, remember that a net sifts whatever goes into it so that only some remains. Here’s an example of gross and net used correctly in the same sentence. Example: For this quarter, gross income was $2 million, but $1. 25 million in expenses and outstanding debts resulted in a net of only $750,000. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between gross and net.

Related Words

See flagrant.

Other Word Forms

• grossly adverb
• grossness noun
• outgross verb (used with object)
• overgross adjective
• overgrossness noun
• ungross adjective

Etymology

Origin of gross

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French gros “large” (as noun, grosse “twelve dozen”), from Late Latin gross(us) “thick, coarse”

Explanation

Get ready, because gross has a few different meanings. When something is gross, it's disgusting. The noun, a gross, is the complete amount (before expenses), and the verb "to gross" is to bring in money. Two things will tell you which meaning is the right one with a word like gross: the part of speech and the context. If you're talking about awful, sickening, vile things, you're looking at the adjective gross. If you're referring to, say, how much money a movie made, that's the noun gross; but remember, the gross is how much the movie made in total, not how much it cleared in profit after expenses (the net). As a noun, gross can also be a unit of measurement: if your teacher orders a gross of pencils, he'll get a shipment of 12 dozen. The verb to gross means to pull in money, as in: the bake sale grossed 30 dollar.

Example Sentences

The former chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation is being investigated for gross misconduct over social media posts.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

U.K. gross domestic product figures for February are released on Thursday and are expected to show some improvement following zero growth in January.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Meanwhile, gross corporate taxes came in at $15 billion, 28% lower from prior year.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

The backdoor Roth means anyone can immediately put money into a Roth regardless of how much they earn — pretty much making a mockery of the modified adjusted gross income limits for Roth contributions.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

See, even though TJ was ridiculous and annoying and sometimes gross, she appreciated the fact that he always made her laugh whether she wanted to or not.

From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• abhorrent
• appalling
• awful
• disgusting
• distasteful
• foul
• nasty
• nauseating
• noisome
• noxious
• objectionable
• odious
• offensive
• repellent
• repugnant
• repulsive
• revolting
• sickening
• unpleasant