groove

1 of 2

noun

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 2

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

Synonyms of groove

Noun

• routine
• grind
• rut
• pattern

Verb

• file
• scratch
• seam
• scribe

Examples of groove in a Sentence

Noun

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

His father would sit in a chair and clean them with baby oil and a pin to scrape the grime from every last groove. —Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 18 May 2026

The timing of his retirement and his relatively young age made the decision a surprise, but Watkins was struggling to find his groove on the mound. —Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026

Verb

The crowd-pleaser — distributed by Universal internationally and Lionsgate domestically — moved and grooved back to first place on domestic and global charts as well, a remarkable feat in its fourth weekend of release. —Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 17 May 2026

So, let’s close out Night 2 with a big helping of soulful island reggae grooves from Maui’s Maoli on the HelloFresh Stage. —Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 13 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

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