gypsy

[ jip-see ]

/ ˈdʒɪp si /

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noun, plural gyp·sies.

(initial capital letter)Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. Roma¹ (def. 1). See Usage note at the current entry.

(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.

Informal. gypsy cab.

Informal. an independent, usually nonunion trucker, hauler, operator, etc.

Slang. a chorus dancer, especially in the Broadway theater.

(in horse racing) gyp¹ (def. 4).

adjective

(initial capital letter)Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. of or relating to the Roma; Romani.

Informal. working independently or without a license: gypsy truckers.

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Also especially British, gipsy, Gip·sy .

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

usage note for gypsy

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 WORDS FROM gypsy

gyp·sy·dom, noungyp·sy·esque, gyp·sy·ish, gyp·sy·like, gyp·se·ian, adjectivegyp·sy·hood, noungyp·sy·ism, noun

non-Gyp·sy, noun, plural non-Gyp·sies.

Words nearby gypsy

gypsophila, gypsophile, gypsum, gypsum board, gypsum plaster, gypsy, gypsy cab, gypsy capstan, gypsyhead, gypsy moth, gypsy scale

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gypsy in a sentence

I actually found it quite pleasurable, and it prepared me for this strange, gypsy lifestyle of an actor.
Jena Malone’s Long, Strange Trip From Homelessness to Hollywood Stardom|Marlow Stern|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The family held together in the gypsy jet stream that is military life.
Shaq, Year One|Charles P. Pierce|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The son of a schoolteacher and a bookkeeper, Hoskins had gypsy blood in him from his Romani grandmother.
Remembering Bob Hoskins, the Burly British Star of ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit,’ Who Died at 71|Lorenza Muñoz|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With three others, they now constitute the San Miguel Five and play a combination of Afro-Latin, classical, and gypsy jazz.
The Second Life of San Miguel de Allende|Michele Willens|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Her moniker in headlines quickly transformed to “Mystery Gypsy.”
American Gypsies Are a Persecuted Minority That Is Starting to Fight Back|Nina Strochlic|December 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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.
Country Neighbors|Alice Brown
Her gypsy face shone radiant out of her black cloth hood, and Ronald's was no less luminous.
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland|Kate Douglas Wiggin
Besides a tarantass, drawn by good Siberian horses, will always go faster than a gypsy cart!
Michael Strogoff|Jules Verne
But the stars and the Gypsy brethren forbid the banns, so they part eternally.
Lavengro|George Borrow
Which is a pity; a Gypsy Quakeress would be a charming fancy.
Lavengro|George Borrow

British Dictionary definitions for gypsy

Gypsy

Gipsy

/ (ˈdʒɪpsɪ) /

noun plural -sies (sometimes not capital)

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

Derived forms of Gypsy

Gypsydom or Gipsydom, nounGypsyhood or Gipsyhood, nounGypsyish or Gipsyish, adjectiveGypsy-like or Gipsy-like, adjective

Word Origin for Gypsy

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

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