grass

1 of 2

noun

ˈgras 

often attributive

1

: herbage suitable or used for grazing animals

2

: any of a large family (Gramineae synonym Poaceae) of monocotyledonous mostly herbaceous plants with jointed stems, slender sheathing leaves, and flowers borne in spikelets of bracts

3

: land (such as a lawn or a turf racetrack) covered with growing grass

keep off the grass

the horse had never won on grass

4

grasses plural : leaves or plants of grass

5

: a state or place of retirement

put out to grass

6

[short for grasshopper, rhyming slang for copper] British slang : a police informer

7

: electronic noise on a radarscope that takes the form of vertical lines resembling lawn grass

8

: marijuana

grassless

ˈgras-ləs 

adjective

grasslike

ˈgras-ˌlīk 

adjective

grass

2 of 2

verb

grassed; grassing; grasses

transitive verb

1

: to feed (livestock) on grass sometimes without grain or other concentrates

2

: to cover with grass

especially : to seed to grass

intransitive verb

1

: to produce grass

2

British slang : inform sense 1

—often used with on

Synonyms

Verb

• fink
• inform
• rat (on)
• sing
• snitch
• split (on) [British]
• squeak
• squeal
• talk
• tell (on)

Examples of grass in a Sentence

Noun

They were smoking some grass.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Dietary analysis revealed strong grass consumption and considerable overlap between zebras and wildebeest. —T. Michael Anderson, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024

Lucchino saw more than base lines, outfield grass and the basic skeletal structure of a baseball destination. —Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024

The one walk issued by Winn, to Betts with one out in the third, came around to score when Ohtani ripped a double off the bag at first base and Freeman followed with a line drive single that screamed through the Giants infield playing on the cut of the grass with runners on second and third. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024

Pollen is released by trees, grasses and weeds, explains Dr. Neil Parikh, allergist and immunologist with Dignity Health Mercy Medical Group. —Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024

Easter 2024: Here's your guide to celebrating the holiday with kids Is plastic Easter grass recyclable? —Katie Wiseman, The Courier-Journal, 29 Mar. 2024

Many of the canals running through the farmland were fortified with low hillocks covered in grass. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

The operators promised a grass course in one or two years. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024

This farm grows a special blue grass that game creator Eric Barone says animals will love. —Nena Farrell, WIRED, 22 Mar. 2024

Verb

Williams said the holes that were grassed last should be ideal by the fall. —Mark Kazlowski, Dallas News, 12 May 2023

The major endeavor ahead includes putting in brand new irrigation, plenty of tree work and re-grassing the entire golf course. —Mike Dojc, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023

Farmers in Texas are being forced to sell off their cattle herds earlier than normal due to extreme drought -- as water sources dry out and grass burns up. —Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, 17 Aug. 2022

Burning mostly shrub and grass less than a mile from Top-of-The-World, the fire as of Tuesday has consumed more than 71,756 acres with no containment, according to InciWeb. —Chelsea Curtis, The Arizona Republic, 7 June 2021

Berea Community Outreach now encompasses a long list of programs, from a food pantry and Dinner to Your Door to grass cutting and snowplowing for seniors and the disabled. —cleveland, 4 Jan. 2021

Not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to embarrass themselves in public, many of our overzealous police forces have launched online contact forms so people can grass on their neighbors. —Charlie Peters, National Review, 8 Apr. 2020

More of the area around the platform has been grassed, adding even more seating and picnicking areas. —John Davis, azcentral, 27 Jan. 2020

Robotic lawn mowers like the Honda Miimo ($2,499); Robomow ($1,299); and Worx Landroid ($999) are to grass what the Roomba and its ilk are to carpet. —Maria Carter, Country Living, 19 Apr. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gras, from Old English græs; akin to Old High German gras grass, Old English grōwan to grow

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing grass

• Bahia grass
• barnyard grass
• beach grass
• bear grass
• bent grass
• Bermuda grass
• blue-eyed grass
• buffalo grass
• cotton grass
• couch grass
• cut-grass
• Dallis grass
• elephant grass
• fountain grass
• gama grass
• grass carp
• grass cloth
• grass court
• grass on/up
• grass roots
• grass tree
• grass widow
• grass widower
• harding grass
• Indian grass
• let the grass grow under one's feet
• love grass
• manna grass
• marram grass
• meadow grass
• napier grass
• nut grass
• oat grass
• orchard grass
• pampas grass
• pangola grass
• panic grass
• put (someone) out to grass
• quack grass
• Rhodes grass
• Saint Augustine grass
• salt grass
• saw grass
• scurvy grass
• short-grass prairie
• snake in the grass
• sour grass
• star grass
• St. Augustine grass
• Sudan grass
• sword grass
• tape grass
• the grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence)
• turtle grass
• tussock grass
• wire grass
• yard grass

Kids Definition

grass

1 of 2 noun

ˈgras 

1

: herbs suitable for or eaten by grazing animals

2

: any of a large family of green plants (as wheat, corn, bamboo, or sugarcane) with jointed usually hollow stems, long slender leaves, and small dry one-seeded fruits often in groups

3

: grass-covered land

especially : lawn entry 2

4

: marijuana

grasslike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

grassy

ˈgras-ē

adjective

grass

2 of 2 verb

1

: to seed with grass

2

: to provide (as cattle) with grass for food

Medical Definition

grass

noun

ˈgras 

: marijuana

Biographical Definition

Grass

biographical name

ˈgräs 

Günter Wilhelm 1927–2015 German writer