gypsy
noun
Roma.
gypsy
American
[jip-see]
/ ˈdʒɪp si /
especially British,
Gipsy
noun
-
gypsies
plural
-
(initial capital letter) Roma.
-
(initial capital letter) (not in technical use) the Indic language of the Roma; Romani.
-
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.
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Informal. gypsy cab.
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Informal. an independent, usually nonunion trucker, hauler, operator, etc.
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Slang. a chorus dancer, especially in the Broadway theater.
-
(in horse racing) gyp.
adjective
-
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Roma; Romani.
-
Informal. working independently or without a license.
gypsy truckers.
Gypsy
British
/ ˈdʒɪpsɪ /
noun
-
-
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
-
( as modifier )
a Gypsy fortune-teller
-
-
the language of the Gypsies; Romany
-
a person who looks or behaves like a Gypsy
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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Gypsydomnoun
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Gypsyhoodnoun
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gypsydomnoun
-
gypsyhoodnoun
-
gypsyismnoun
-
non-Gypsynoun
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Gypsy-likeadjective
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Gypsyishadjective
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gypseianadjective
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gypsyesqueadjective
-
gypsyishadjective
-
gypsylikeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of gypsy
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
Vocabulary lists containing gypsy
Scrabble: Words with no Vowels
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Novel Study: The Alchemist, Pages 1–88
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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:
This joyous duet between Cuban trendsetter Cimafunk and Colombian gypsy jazz outfit Monsieur Periné — culled from Cima’s third album, “Pa’Tu Cuerpa” — is the perfect Latin summer anthem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
In 2022, for instance, the Entomological Society of America adopted spongy moth for the invasive moth Lymantria dispar, getting rid of gypsy moth.
From Science Magazine ● Sep. 5, 2023
Mr Balaz said it was unlikely the increase he had observed would show up in official data, because so many Roma families were reluctant to identify themselves as Roma or gypsy.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2023
Pope Francis, who visited a gypsy community during his recent visit to Slovakia, will meet with the Croatian-based team from the World Roma Federation, the Vatican players and Lazio’s leadership on Saturday before the match.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 2021
Meanwhile, the Department’s Plant Pest Control men had temporarily forgotten gypsy moths, for they had been busy launching an even more ambitious program in the South.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Friends, Families & Travellers – a charity supporting the Gypsy, Romany and traveller communities – said: "Instead of telling people where they can't go, it'd be more helpful to tell people where they can go."
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Between April 2023 and February 2026, permission was granted for 31 new Gypsy and traveller pitches.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
In 2024, analysts concluded, external that by 2042 Basildon would need enough pitches to house 302 Gypsy and traveller households.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
"That takes about eight to 10 minutes per portion, the time that the gas has to be on continuously," said Aditi Limaye Kamat, whose family owns Gypsy and several other eateries.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
If he hadn’t believed in the significance of recurrent dreams, he would not have met the Gypsy woman, the king, the thief, or .
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
Heidegger’s noble guests cavorted as milkmaids, chimney sweeps, gypsies, “Indian kings” and even a “nude” Adam wearing a body stocking and fig leaves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Looking on were the usual suspects of Rio’s Carnival scene: revelers dressed as folkloric characters, jaguars, gypsies and ‘bate-bolas’ – exuberant clowns in identical, elaborate outfits who travel in packs.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
In “The World Doesn’t End,” he wrote: “I was stolen by the gypsies. My parents stole me right back. / Then the gypsies stole me again. This went on for some time.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2023
He also says there is an "educational quality" to raising it, as people know the Nazis murdered Jews, but they don't know, claims Carr, they also killed gypsies and other groups.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2022
But underneath it all she could not conceive that the boy the gypsies took away was the same lout who would eat half a suckling pig for lunch and whose flatulence withered the flowers.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
