gi

1 of 6

abbreviation (1)

gill
1
: provided by an official U.S. military supply department
GI shoes
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of U.S. military personnel
3
: conforming to military regulations or customs
a GI haircut

GI

3 of 6

noun

plural GIs or GI's ˌjē-ˈīz How to pronounce GI (audio)
: a member or former member of the U.S. armed forces
especially : a man enlisted in the army

GI

4 of 6

adverb

: in a strictly regulation manner

GI

5 of 6

verb

transitive verb

: to clean (something) thoroughly in preparation for or as if for a military inspection
The barracks … were in fine order—they'd been GI'd the night before.New Republic

GI

6 of 6

abbreviation (2)

1
galvanized iron
2
gastrointestinal
3
general issue; government issue
4

Examples of gi in a Sentence

Verb in preparation for one of her mother-in-law's dreaded visits, she had GI'd the whole house
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
One of the guild’s achievements, this year, has been to define a Geographical Indication (GI); a major milestone in legally protecting English whisky production and preventing misuse of the term. Kevin Rozario, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 The good news is that these findings could lead to new treatment strategies for stomach and GI cancers. Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2025 Or, as Kuhlmann recommends to me, bypassing it altogether, for many reasons—one of which is possible unforeseen side effects, like GI upset. Julia Forbes, Wired News, 29 Aug. 2025 War dog Chips gets a doughnut from GI. Vic Verbalaitis, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gi

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

galvanized iron; from abbreviation used in listing such articles as garbage cans, but taken as abbreviation for government issue

First Known Use

Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1943, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1949, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gi was in 1926

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Cite this Entry

“Gi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gi. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

GI

1 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or characteristic of U.S. military forces

GI

2 of 2 noun
plural GIs or GI's
: a member or former member of the U.S. armed forces
Etymology

Adjective

from the abbreviation for galvanized iron used in listing such articles as garbage cans, but mistaken as standing for government issue

Medical Definition

GI

abbreviation
1
gastrointestinal
2
glycemic index

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