Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for gypsy

gypsy

[ jip-see ]

noun

, plural gyp·sies.
  1. (initial capital letter) Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. Roma 1( def 1 ).
  2. (initial capital letter) (not in technical use) the Indic language of the Roma; Romani.
  3. a person held to resemble a Roma, especially in physical characteristics or in a traditionally ascribed freedom or inclination to move from place to place.
  4. Informal. gypsy cab.
  5. Informal. an independent, usually nonunion trucker, hauler, operator, etc.
  6. Slang. a chorus dancer, especially in the Broadway theater.
  7. (in horse racing) gyp 1( def 4 ).


adjective

  1. (initial capital letter) Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. of or relating to the Roma; Romani.
  2. Informal. working independently or without a license:

    gypsy truckers.

Gypsy

/ ˈdʒɪpsɪ /

noun

    1. a member of a people scattered throughout Europe and North America, who maintain a nomadic way of life in industrialized societies. They migrated from NW India from about the 9th century onwards
    2. ( as modifier )

      a Gypsy fortune-teller

  1. the language of the Gypsies; Romany
  2. a person who looks or behaves like a Gypsy
“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


Discover More

Sensitive Note

The Roma have commonly been called Gypsies . However, Gypsy is a word that has also been used as a disparaging slur for this ethnic group, and many Romani people find it offensive. The collective members of this tribe are best referred to with the plural noun Roma . To refer to an individual, Rom and Romani are the preferred singular forms.
Discover More

Derived Forms

  • ˈGypsyish, adjective
  • ˈGypsyˌhood, noun
  • ˈGypsydom, noun
  • ˈGypsy-ˌlike, adjective
Discover More

Other Words From

  • gyp·sy·dom noun
  • gyp·sy·esque gyp·sy·ish gyp·sy·like gyp·se·ian adjective
  • gyp·sy·hood noun
  • gyp·sy·ism noun
  • non-Gyp·sy noun plural nonGypsies
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of gypsy1

First recorded in 1505–15; back formation of gipcyan, variant of Egyptian (showing a loss of the unstressed initial syllable), from the mistaken belief that Gypsies came originally from Egypt
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of gypsy1

C16: from Egyptian , since they were thought to have come originally from Egypt
Discover More

Example Sentences

I actually found it quite pleasurable, and it prepared me for this strange, gypsy lifestyle of an actor.

The family held together in the gypsy jet stream that is military life.

The son of a schoolteacher and a bookkeeper, Hoskins had gypsy blood in him from his Romani grandmother.

With three others, they now constitute the San Miguel Five and play a combination of Afro-Latin, classical, and gypsy jazz.

Her moniker in headlines quickly transformed to “Mystery Gypsy.”

She was a thin, dark-eyed creature, with a gypsy face and a quantity of gray hair wound about on the top of her head.

Her gypsy face shone radiant out of her black cloth hood, and Ronald's was no less luminous.

Besides a tarantass, drawn by good Siberian horses, will always go faster than a gypsy cart!

But the stars and the Gypsy brethren forbid the banns, so they part eternally.

Which is a pity; a Gypsy Quakeress would be a charming fancy.

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


gypsum plastergypsy cab