grizzle

noun griz·zle \ ˈgri-zəl \

Updated on: 23 May 2018

Definition of grizzle

1 archaic : gray hair

2 a : a roan coat pattern or color

b : a gray or roan animal

Recent Examples of grizzle from the Web

Euro-American settlers perceived grizzles as a threat to life and property and killed them in large numbers.

— atlanta travel, ajc, "See Yosemite the kid friendly way," 4 Apr. 2017
Aside from his charismatic grizzle, the role was educational.

— sopan deb and katie rogers, New York Times, "From ‘The West Wing’ to ‘Veep’: Chiefs of Staff, Imagined and Real," 22 Aug. 2017
Euro-American settlers perceived grizzles as a threat to life and property and killed them in large numbers.

— atlanta travel, ajc, "See Yosemite the kid friendly way," 4 Apr. 2017
Euro-American settlers perceived grizzles as a threat to life and property and killed them in large numbers.

— atlanta travel, ajc, "See Yosemite the kid friendly way," 4 Apr. 2017
Euro-American settlers perceived grizzles as a threat to life and property and killed them in large numbers.

— jessica yadegaran, The Mercury News, "A kid-friendly guide to Yosemite," 22 Feb. 2017
Euro-American settlers perceived grizzles as a threat to life and property and killed them in large numbers.

— atlanta travel, ajc, "See Yosemite the kid friendly way," 4 Apr. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of grizzle

Middle English grisel, adjective, gray, from Anglo-French, from gris, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German grīs gray

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1601

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

grizzle

verb

Definition of grizzle

grizzled; grizzling play \ˈgriz-liŋ, ˈgri-zə-\

transitive verb

: to make grayish

intransitive verb

1 : gripe, grumble

2 : to become grayish

See grizzle defined for English-language learners

Examples of grizzle in a Sentence

He is always grizzling about the weather.
He always grizzles that the weather is bad.

Recent Examples of grizzle from the Web

Brian Cavalier, known as Booda, Cliven Bundy’s giant, grizzled, ogre-looking bodyguard, got up.

— james pogue, Outside Online, "The Religious Ideology Driving the Bundy Brothers," 14 May 2018
The grizzled, gum-chewing police chief quickly gets frustrated with the arrogant boy from up north.

— walter mosley, The Hollywood Reporter, "Walter Mosley on 'In the Heat of the Night' at 50: Does Mister Tibbs Still Matter?," 1 Mar. 2018
The earthiest of the bunch is grizzled Aquilino García López, who hand-packs mud around his stills and weighs their copper tops down with rocks.

— john defore, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Agave: The Spirit of a Nation': Film Review | SXSW 2018," 10 Mar. 2018
Wizened and grizzled, tough and smart, not just ready for battle but positively looking forward to it.

— rory smith, New York Times, "In Stopping Tottenham, Juventus Holds Back Time With a Smile," 7 Mar. 2018
The film won Oscars for best director and screenplay for John Huston and best supporting actor for his father, Walter Huston, whose performance became the template for every other grizzled, toothless, loopy gold prospector in movies.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "Classic Western 'Treasure Of The Sierra Madre' In Area Theaters," 8 Jan. 2018
Maybe the struggling White Sox didn’t have to wait till Jirschele was grizzled.

— chris jones, New York Times, "Can Baseball Turn a 27-Year-Old Into the Perfect Manager?," 14 Sep. 2017
When that wasn't enough to shake the Minnesota Wild, grizzled veteran Henrik Zetterberg put the Red Wings back ahead to stay.

— USA TODAY, "Red Wings beat Wild 4-2 in opener at new arena," 5 Oct. 2017
The Green Bay quarterback rolled up to training camp this week looking grizzled as hell, sporting a cookie duster that would make Esquire's August cover star Josh Brolin proud.

— nate erickson, Esquire, "Aaron Rodgers' New Mustache Could Lead the Packers to a 16-0 Season," 30 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of grizzle

1740

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

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GRIZZLE Defined for English Language Learners

grizzle

verb

Definition of grizzle for English Language Learners

: to make a continuous, quiet, crying sound
: to complain in a weak or annoying way

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grizzle

Definition of grizzle

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Origin and Etymology of grizzle

grizzle

Definition of grizzle

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First Known Use of grizzle

GRIZZLE Defined for English Language Learners

grizzle

Definition of grizzle for English Language Learners

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grizzle

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