graft

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
a
: a grafted (see graft entry 2 sense transitive 1) plant
c
: the point of insertion of a scion upon a stock
2
a
: the act of grafting
b
: something grafted
specifically : living tissue used in grafting

Illustration of graft

Illustration of graft
  • a scion
  • b stock

graft

2 of 5

verb (1)

grafted; grafting; grafts

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause (a scion) to unite with a stock
also : to unite (plants or scion and stock) to form a graft
b
: to propagate (see propagate sense transitive 1) (a plant) by grafting
2
: to implant (living tissue) surgically
3
a
: to join or unite as if by grafting
b
: to attach (a chemical unit) to a main molecular chain

intransitive verb

1
: to become grafted
2
: to perform grafting
grafter noun

graft

3 of 5

noun (2)

: the acquisition of gain (such as money) in dishonest or questionable ways
also : illegal or unfair gain

graft

4 of 5

verb (2)

grafted; grafting; grafts

transitive verb

: to get (illicit gain) by graft

intransitive verb

: to practice graft

graft

5 of 5

noun (3)

chiefly British
: work, labor

Examples of graft in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But how much of your income actually disappears into a black hole of graft and jingoism? Dennard Dayle, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024 Outcomes of high-risk kidneys (graft and patient survival) should be tracked separately from the outcomes of standard risk kidneys, and not be used to penalize programs in the way they are currently utilized, but rather influence inclusion in the high-risk program. Joshua Mezrich, STAT, 2 Mar. 2024 That same day, his anticorruption movement released a 110-minute expose detailing years of graft by Putin and his cronies. Anna Nemtsova, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024 Although his years of graft have taken him into the heart of the fashion complex, Appiolaza began them as a rank outsider. Luke Leitch, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2024 Number of grafts: The cost of a hair transplant in Istanbul is often calculated based on the number of grafts required. Ascend Agency, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2024 However, it’s also being studied for use against graft versus host disease, cardiac fibrosis, and fungal pulmonary aspiration. Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 28 Feb. 2024 Thaksin was sentenced to eight years in jail on graft charges on his return from 15 years in self exile. TIME, 13 Feb. 2024 Compactness is a hallmark of her writing, made possible by both hard graft and her gifts for exposition and exegesis, which enabled her to digest and repackage huge quantities of material. Charles Arrowsmith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024
Verb
The project involved more than just grafting a new set of doors on the vehicle, though. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 26 Oct. 2023 The fibers were then spread out and attached to new muscle targets in his remaining arm, including muscle tissue grafted from his thigh. Simon Makin, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023 The culprit here is a sequence where a deranged surgeon (Pierre Brasseur) attempts to graft a new face onto his daughter’s disfigured one, a scene that — while mild by today’s standards — horrified audiences in 1960. Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 In 2014, the company purchased machinery from a plastic lumber business and grafted it onto the back of a medical waste plant in Jeannette, Pa., with the idea of converting some refuse into useful products. Ted Alcorn, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 And in Texas, someone allegedly did the same to a female teacher, grafting her head onto a woman in a pornographic video. Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 His art is tapped most deeply by filmmakers who share his probing sensibility, who, rather than simply grafting his singular manner onto their movies, actually challenge it with new ideas. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2024 Typically, these deepfakes use artificial intelligence to graft the victim’s face into a pornographic image or video. Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2024 Eight of the operations were major surgeries where tissue was taken from another part of the body and grafted to the injured area of the face. Juliet Butler, Peoplemag, 21 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'graft.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb (1)

Middle English graffe, grafte, from Anglo-French greffe, graife stylus, graph, from Medieval Latin graphium, from Latin, stylus, from Greek grapheion, from graphein to write — more at carve

Verb (2) and Noun (2)

origin unknown

Noun (3)

English dialect graft, verb, to work

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

1865, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1859, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (3)

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of graft was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near graft

Cite this Entry

“Graft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graft. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

graft

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to insert a twig or bud from one plant into another plant so that they are joined and grow together
b
: to join one thing to another as if by grafting
graft skin over the burn
2
: to gain money or advantage by graft
grafter noun

graft

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a grafted plant
b
: the point in a plant where a part that is being grafted is inserted
2
: the act of grafting
3
: something used in grafting: as
b
: living tissue used in surgical grafting
4
a
: the getting of money or advantage by dishonest means through misuse of an official position
exposed graft in the city government
b
: the money or advantage gained
accused of taking graft

Medical Definition

graft

1 of 2 transitive verb
: to implant (living tissue) surgically
grafted a new piece of artery into the ruptured portion of the old artery

graft

2 of 2 noun
1
: the act of grafting
2
: something grafted
specifically : living tissue used in grafting
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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