grease

1 of 2

noun

ˈgrēs 

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

ˈgrēs-ləs 

adjective

greaseproof

ˈgrēs-ˈprüf 

adjective

grease

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrēs  ˈgrēz 

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

Phrases

in the grease

of wool or fur : in the natural uncleaned condition

grease the hand of or grease the palm of

: bribe

Synonyms

Verb

• oil
• wax
• wet
• lubricate

Examples of grease in a Sentence

Verb

Grease the pan before you put the cake batter in.

make sure you grease the pan before you put the batter in

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Gaskets inside protect the lens from dust and splashes, and a protective fluorine coat effectively repels moisture and grease. —PC Magazine, 17 July 2025

Cooking oil and grease can quickly ignite when exposed to high temperatures, leading to a grease fire that can spread to the rest of the kitchen. —Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2025

Verb

The Israeli Air Force handled Iran's air defense system with ease, so much so that Israeli pilots established air superiority over the country and greased the skids for U.S. B-2 bombers to drop their 30,000-pound payloads on two of Iran's main nuclear facilities at Natanz and Fordow. —Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025

But language hastening Maryland Public Service Commission approval of power plants is generating concern, as well as what critics see as provisions that grease the skids for new natural gas power plants. —Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing grease

• a/the squeaky wheel gets the grease/oil
• elbow grease
• grease monkey
• grease pencil
• grease the hand of
• grease the palm of
• grease the wheels
• wool grease

Rhymes for grease

• cease
• crease
• fleece
• gees
• geese
• grece
• lease
• leese
• niece
• piece
• prese
• seis

Kids Definition

grease

1 of 2 noun

ˈgrēs 

1

: melted animal fat

2

: oily matter

3

: a thick lubricant

grease

2 of 2 verb

ˈgrēs  ˈgrēz 

greased; greasing

1

: to smear with grease

2

: to lubricate with grease

greaser noun