gi

1 of 6

abbreviation (1)

gill

GI

2 of 6

adjective

ˌjē-ˈī 

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 

: 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

GI'd ˌjē-ˈīd  ; GI'ing ˌjē-ˈī-iŋ 

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

glycemic index

Synonyms of gi

Verb

• clean
• scrub
• rinse

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

Noun

An outbreak on a luxury cruise ship departing from Miami has gotten 27 people sick with a gastrointestinal (GI) illness, the Centers for Disease Control said. —Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026

This offering from Now contains 10 probiotic strains that have been identified and verified to naturally colonize the human GI tract. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026

No one had written about the Black GI as a phenomenon. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026

Busser does pro bono work for active military through the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs GI LAW Program. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026

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

Kids Definition

GI

1 of 2 adjective

(ˈ)jē-ˈī 

: 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

(ˈ)jē-ˈī 

1

gastrointestinal

2

glycemic index