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

Silberman was able to finish his studies at Johns Hopkins because of the 1944 GI Bill, which transformed access to higher education for veterans by covering tuition and living expenses. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 2 May 2026

According to the agency, the EU’s system of geographical indications (GI), which are tags that indicate a product is from a certain region, have played a large part in fostering the imbalance. —Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 1 May 2026

Standard treatments like carbidopa/levodopa may take longer to kick in or feel less effective when GI issues are in play. —Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026

This motivated passage of the GI Bill to keep many vets out of the labor market by sending them to school. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 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