grid

noun

ˈgrid 

1

: grating

2

a(1)

: a perforated or ridged metal plate used as a conductor in a storage battery

(2)

: an electrode consisting of a mesh or a spiral of fine wire in an electron tube

(3)

: a network of conductors for distribution of electric power

also : a network of radio or television stations

b

: a network of uniformly spaced horizontal and perpendicular lines (as for locating points on a map)

also : something resembling such a network

a road grid

c

: gridiron sense 3

broadly : football

3

: the starting positions of cars on a racecourse

4

: a device in a photocomposer on which are located the characters to be exposed as the text is composed

Examples of grid in a Sentence

The students plotted points on a grid.

The city streets form a grid.

Recent Examples on the Web

Data prepared by Whisker Labs, a company that monitors U.S. grids, also confirmed that the grid experienced faults at this time. —Brianna Sacks and Anumita Kaur The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 21 Apr. 2024

For these users, and there are a lot of them, the Instagram grid — traditionally the province of documenting life milestones and jaunts to Mallorca — has become something else: A deliberate blank slate. —Bobby Allyn, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024

Meanwhile, Russia has turned its attention back to Ukraine’s energy grid, striking key facilities in missile and drone attacks that have exploited a shortage of air defense systems across the country. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 12 Apr. 2024

Their targets are primarily the electric grid and civilian buildings. —Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024

Just last week, the grid operator released a $6.1-billion plan to build new electric lines that would help import solar and wind power from Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and from offshore wind turbines that would produce more consistently than onshore wind farms. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024

Their work appears to depict a wide array of motifs, including rectangular grids, circles with radial lines, stars, and a shape with serpentine features. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024

Weaker solar flares won't be noticeable here on Earth, but those with enough energy output to rank as an X-class have the potential to disrupt radio communications, electric power grids and navigation signals. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024

The only thing that populated on my [grid] was everything Drag Race. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from gridiron

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing grid

• cattle grid
• micro-grid
• off-grid
• off-the-grid

Kids Definition

grid

noun

ˈgrid 

1

: grating sense 1

2

: a metal plate used as a conductor in a storage battery

3

: an element of an electron tube consisting of a network of fine wire

4

: a network of horizontal and perpendicular lines (as for locating points on a map using coordinates or for counting a sample of particles or organisms on a microscope slide)

5

: a network of conductors for distribution of electrical power

also : a network of radio or television stations