grass

1 of 2

noun

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
grassless adjective
grasslike 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

Examples of grass in a Sentence

Noun They were smoking some grass. Verb that bloke would grass on his own mater to save himself
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
Would a repeat violation for tall grass net the city $50 or $500? Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 29 Nov. 2024 After another mile or so, the secluded cabin appeared, surrounded by pine trees and tall grasses, overlooking Lake Michigan. Pat Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2024
Verb
Zink takes the time to camouflage, paying attention to every detail, grassing the chicken-wire frame of his boat blind with natural vegetation. Joe Arterburn, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024 During the Clearances, thousands of peasant farmers were evicted to make way for industrial-scale sheep farming, their fields grassed, and woods razed for pasture. Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grass 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of grass was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near grass

Cite this Entry

“Grass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grass. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

grass

1 of 2 noun
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
grasslike 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

Biographical Definition

Grass

biographical name

Günter Wilhelm 1927–2015 German writer

More from Merriam-Webster on grass

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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