grease

noun \ ˈgrēs \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

Examples: grease in a Sentence

Definition of grease

1 a : rendered animal fat

b : oily matter

c : a thick lubricant

2 : wool as it comes from the sheep retaining the natural oils or fats

—

greaseless

play \ˈgrēs-ləs\ adjective

—

greaseproof

play \ˈgrēs-ˈprüf\ adjective

— in the grease

of wool or fur : in the natural uncleaned condition

See grease defined for English-language learners

See grease defined for kids

Recent Examples of grease from the Web

However, residents often use their drains as rubbish bins, depositing waste and grease that block the channels.

— The Economist, "The opposition wins every seat in the Barbados Parliament," 31 May 2018
Serves 4 to 6 1 29-ounce can green beans 1/2 small onion, diced 4 to 6 ounces ham, diced 2 tablespoons bacon greaseSalt and pepper to taste Place all ingredients in a roomy pot.

— bailey loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "80/20 at Kaelin's wants to honor restaurant's history - not imitate it," 24 May 2018
As pictured above, the material around the trackpad, keyboard, and power button are prone to retaining grease or anything else from your hands.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 review: Meet the child of Intel and AMD’s unholy union," 23 May 2018
The well-prepared mussels gained considerably from a rich, buttery sauce, not to mention flavorful, grease-free fries.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "Downtown gets a new French accent from Chez Hugo bistro," 20 Apr. 2018
The spring-like impression left by the flowers belied what turned out to be a heavy grease-like coating in the mouth that nullified the contribution of the other ingredients.

— michael bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Why the restaurant Coi won’t be on this year’s Top 100 Restaurants list," 17 Apr. 2018
Carefully drain grease from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "2 spring-ready recipes for English peas," 13 Apr. 2018
The class of 1972 boasts the fastest time at 1 minute 30 seconds — but no grease was used that year.

— rachel siegel, Washington Post, "Herndon Monument Climb: Why crazed Naval Academy freshmen storm a greased obelisk," 21 May 2018
The room was small and steamy, the walls grease-stained.

— edwidge danticat, The New Yorker, "Without Inspection," 7 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grease.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of grease

Middle English grese, from Anglo-French gresse, greisse, creisse, from Vulgar Latin *crassia, from Latin crassus fat

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

grease

verb \ ˈgrēs , ˈgrēz \

Definition of grease

greased; greasing

transitive verb

1 : to smear or daub with grease

2 : to lubricate with grease

3 : to soil with grease

4 : to hasten the process or progress of; also : facilitate

— grease the hand of or grease the palm of

: bribe

See grease defined for English-language learners

Examples of grease in a Sentence

Grease the pan before you put the cake batter in.
make sure you grease the pan before you put the batter in

Recent Examples of grease from the Web

Trust is the oil that greases the machine of the world.

— olen steinhauer, New York Times, "A Novel Based on the True Story of a Con Man and His Ghostwriter," 1 June 2018
And once a night game in Kelly green is scheduled, city officials should go ahead and grease up the light poles.

— jonathan jones, SI.com, "Four More NFL Teams That Should Turn to Throwback Unis," 25 May 2018
Lightly grease an 18- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray; line with parchment paper, leaving a 3-inch overhang on the two long sides.

— anna helm and gabriella vigoreaux, Country Living, "Chewy Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches," 22 May 2018
Nine years later, the upperclassmen began greasing it down with lard to make the task more difficult.

— marissa j. lang, Washington Post, "‘Plebes no more’: After 2 hours 9 minutes, Naval Academy freshmen conquer greased monument," 21 May 2018
In an administration that takes everything personally, their rapport may help grease the skids for federal approval.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Sprint and T-Mobile Announce Megamerger," 29 Apr. 2018
Much like how workers greased poles around Philadelphia to prevent fans from scaling them after the Eagles’s Super Bowl win in February, utility poles near Villanova were covered in grease to halt the potentially dangerous form of celebration.

— jennifer calfas, Time, "They Greased Light Poles Outside Philadelphia Again After Villanova’s Big Win. Students Climbed Them Anyway," 3 Apr. 2018
Lightly grease two 8-by-4-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.

— roxanne wyss and kathy moore, kansascity, "Poppy Seed Bread is sweet way to share a joy for cooking | The Kansas City Star," 15 May 2018
The skids were further greased by the ease of accommodating feelings as dispositive in human events.

— WSJ, "Feelings Are Fine, But a Consensus Is Divine," 8 May 2018

First Known Use of grease

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

grease Synonyms

Phrases

pave the way (for);

GREASE Defined for English Language Learners

grease

noun

Definition of grease for English Language Learners

: melted animal fat
: an oily substance

grease

verb

Definition of grease for English Language Learners

: to put a thin layer of grease or oil on (something)

GREASE Defined for Kids

grease

noun \ ˈgrēs \

Definition of grease for Students

1 : a substance obtained from animal fat by melting

2 : oily material

3 : a thick lubricant

grease

verb \ ˈgrēs , ˈgrēz \

Definition of grease for Students

greased; greasing

: to coat or lubricate with an oily material

Learn More about grease

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for grease Spanish Central: Translation of grease Nglish: Translation of grease for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of grease for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grease

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grease

Definition of grease

greaseless

greaseproof

Recent Examples of grease from the Web

Origin and Etymology of grease

grease

Definition of grease

Examples of grease in a Sentence

Recent Examples of grease from the Web

First Known Use of grease

grease Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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GREASE Defined for English Language Learners

grease

Definition of grease for English Language Learners

grease

Definition of grease for English Language Learners

GREASE Defined for Kids

grease

Definition of grease for Students

grease

Definition of grease for Students

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