groove

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈgrüv 

1

: a long narrow channel or depression

2

a

: a fixed routine : rut

b

: a situation suited to one's abilities or interests : niche

3

: top form

a great talker when he is in the groove

4

: the middle of the strike zone in baseball where a pitch is most easily hit

a fastball right in the groove

5

: an enjoyable or exciting experience

6

: a pronounced enjoyable rhythm

groove

2 of 3

verb

grooved; grooving

transitive verb

1

a

: to make a groove in

b

: to join by a groove

2

: to perfect by repeated practice

grooved her golf swing

3

: to throw (a pitch) in the groove

intransitive verb

1

: to become joined or fitted by a groove

2

: to form a groove

3

: to enjoy oneself intensely

4

: to interact harmoniously

… when things came together musically and started to groove, we both knew it.

—Terre Roche

groover noun

groover

3 of 3

noun (2)

groov·​er

-və(r)

plural -s

1

dialectal, England : miner

2

a

: a device that makes grooves (as by cutting, punching)

b

: a worker who makes grooves (as the operator of a machine that cuts tongues and grooves in box boards)

Synonyms of groove

Noun (1)

• routine
• grind
• rut
• pattern

Verb

• file
• scratch
• seam
• scribe

Examples of groove in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the grooves on a vinyl record

The door slides along a groove in the doorframe.

He's a great pitcher when he's in a groove.

She hasn't yet found her groove.

They've gotten stuck in a groove in their jobs.

Verb

We grooved to the beat.

if you groove that piece of wood, we should be able to fit this smaller board into it

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The network experimented with different streaming models over the years, but never really seemed to find its groove. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

First, the continuous scouring action of the water jet removes slag and oxidized sputtering residues, producing a clean processing interface with smooth inner walls and vertical groove profiles. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026

Verb

The other half comes from the way that Hynde and her partners in crime extract the best of 1950s rock, 1960s British Invasion pop, and even bits of 1970s groove music and add it to the mix. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

On Labor Day 2025, Zohran Kwame Mamdani enjoyed Brooklyn’s West Indian American Day Parade, grooving on various floats as an assemblyman representing Astoria, Queens. — Reshma B, VIBE.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English grove pit, cave, from Middle Dutch groeve; akin to Old High German gruoba pit, cave, Old English grafan to dig — more at grave entry 5

Noun (2)

in sense 1, from groove entry 1 + -er; in other senses, from groove entry 2 + -er

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1686, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing groove

• tongue and groove

Rhymes for groove

• move
• prove
• approve
• disprove
• improve
• remove
• reprove
• disapprove

Kids Definition

groove

1 of 2 noun

ˈgrüv 

1

: a long narrow channel made in a surface

2

: a fixed routine : rut

3

: top form

groove

2 of 2 verb

grooved; grooving

1

a

: to form a groove in

b

: to become grooved

2

: to enjoy very much

Medical Definition

groove

noun

ˈgrüv 

: a long narrow depression occurring naturally on the surface of an organism or an anatomical part