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• gyro
  gyro

  noun

  gyrocompass.
• gyro-
  gyro-

  a combining form meaning “ring,” “circle,” “spiral,” used in the formation of compound words.

gyro

¹ American  

[jahy-roh] / ˈdʒaɪ roʊ /

noun

• gyros
  plural

1. gyrocompass.

2. gyroscope.

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gyro ² American  

[yeer-oh, jahy-roh] / ˈjɪər oʊ, ˈdʒaɪ roʊ /

noun

Greek Cooking.

1. meat, usually lamb, roasted on a vertical spit, then thinly sliced, topped with onions, and usually served in a sandwich of pita bread.

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gyro- ³ American  

1. a combining form meaning “ring,” “circle,” “spiral,” used in the formation of compound words.

   gyromagnetic; gyroscope.

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gyro- ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating rotating or gyrating motion

   gyroscope

2. indicating a spiral

3. indicating a gyroscope

   gyrocompass

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gyro ² British  

/ ˈdʒaɪrəʊ /

noun

1. See gyrocompass

2. See gyroscope

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gyros
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gyro¹

First recorded in 1905–10; independent use of gyro-

Origin of gyro²

1970–75; < Modern Greek gŷros literally, turn, revolution; see gyre

Origin of gyro-³

< Greek gŷros ring, noun use of gȳrós round

Explanation

A gyro is either a tool designed to stabilize compasses and other navigation systems — or it's the name for a delicious sandwich. Just make sure you don't get these two kinds of gyros confused! Gyro is frequently used as shorthand for gyroscope, a device that can determine the direction or speed of an attached object. When the word is pronounced YEE-roh, you've got an entirely different gryo, a Greek sandwich made with roasted meat and sauce (and sometimes French fries) stuffed into a round pita pocket. Both meanings have the same Greek root, gyros, "a circle."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gyro gyros

Or, for weeknight ease, think fast, cooked proteins you can scatter on top: shredded rotisserie chicken, cubed steak, smoky black beans, crispy glazed tofu, shredded carnitas or gyro slices.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2025

A nearby bus depot is a hub for commuters and tempts them to linger with a boba tea shop, a gyro stand and an outdoor cinema.

From New York Times ● Apr. 7, 2023

But the “sweeper” slider would offer hitters a different plane and pitch shape completely different from his high 90s fastballs up in the zone, the gyro slider down in the zone and his sinking changeup.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2023

“It seems like every day, he’s coming in working on new pitches. He’s coming in laughing, ‘Oh, I got a gyro, little slider that goes up and down today.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2022

The gyro had widened; The Great Chain of Being had snapped like so many paper clips strung together by some drooling idiot; death, destruction, anarchy, progress, ambition, and self-improvement were to be Piers' new fate.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

When he cooks, Foley said he often reaches for McCormick’s recipe mixes, made for easy addition to tacos, gyros or Korean BBQ.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

It was a harsh reminder that under the idyllic white villages dotted with gyros restaurants, hot tubs in AirBnB rentals, and vineyards on rich volcanic soil, two tectonic plates grind in the Earth's crust.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2025

A lunch truck pulled up to sell gyros to hungry folks in the crowd, irrespective of their politics.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2023

“I think it’ll be a horse race, if we’re able to make it out to the 2030s, between the gyros and the fine guidance sensors,” he added.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 3, 2022

Ifemelu would come to like the gyros from those carts, flatbread and lamb and dripping sauces, as she would come to love Philadelphia itself.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• gyroscope