gravy
Americannoun
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gravies
plural
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the fat and juices that drip from cooking meat, often thickened, seasoned, flavored, etc., and used as a sauce for meat, potatoes, rice, etc.
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Slang.
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profit or money easily obtained or received unexpectedly.
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money illegally or dishonestly acquired, especially through graft.
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something advantageous or valuable that is received or obtained as a benefit beyond what is due or expected.
noun
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the juices that exude from meat during cooking
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the sauce made by thickening and flavouring such juices
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slang money or gain acquired with little effort, esp above that needed for ordinary living
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slang wonderful; excellent
it's all gravy
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of gravy
1350–1400; 1905–10 gravy for def. 2; Middle English gravé, gravey < Old French gravé, perhaps misreading of grané (compare grain spice) < Latin granātus full of grains. See grain, -ate 1
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:
When asked by the website Mumsnet to name his favourite biscuit, the new prime minister replied that he did not have a sweet tooth and preferred "beer and chips and gravy".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
“I get to have all the gravy, but I don’t have to get up at 3 in the morning,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
It’s complete with a mashed potato “volcano” that’s oozing with gravy lava, along with dino nugget inhabitants and steamed broccoli for trees.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
She is unsubtly telling Maine voters that this gravy train has only just left the station.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
Between my creamed potatoes and my miniature Yorkshire puds I created a Mediterranean of gravy.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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It’s a rich taste, common in soups, gravies, cheeses, and soy sauce.
From NewsForKids.net ● May 16, 2024
The 4-acre facility, which can produce up to 25 tons of chowders, soups and gravies a day, seven days a week, has seen a recent leveling-off in shipping costs for some ingredients.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 9, 2022
While the gravies of the South are typically milk- or cream-based, there's no rule that you can't douse biscuits in a brown gravy and call it breakfast.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2021
With many eventually buried in unnamed gravies across a number of secret cemeteries, the rights group says they have been other cases where Israeli authorities struggled to locate or identify Palestinian bodies.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 20, 2021
Always perfectly seasoned, typically served with delicious gravies or sauces.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.