Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

gross

play
adjective \ˈgrōs\

Definition of gross

  1. 1a archaic :  immediately obviousb (1) :  glaringly noticeable usually because of inexcusable badness or objectionableness a gross error (2) :  out-and-out, utter a gross injusticec :  visible without the aid of a microscope a gross lesion

  2. 2a :  big, bulky; especially :  excessively fatb :  growing or spreading with excessive luxuriance a gross riot of vegetation

  3. 3a :  of, relating to, or dealing with general aspects or broad distinctions a gross outline of the planb :  consisting of an overall total exclusive of deductions gross income — compare net

  4. 4 :  made up of material or perceptible elements

  5. 5 archaic :  not fastidious in taste :  undiscriminating

  6. 6a :  coarse in nature or behavior :  unrefined has gross table mannersb :  gravely deficient in civility or decency :  crudely vulgar merely gross, a scatological rather than a pornographic impropriety — Aldous Huxleyc :  inspiring disgust or distaste that sandwich looks gross

  7. 7 :  deficient in knowledge :  ignorant, untutored

grossly

adverb

grossness

noun

See gross defined for English-language learners

See gross defined for kids

People Are Reading

nidorosity
8 Words to Kill Your Appetite
image1358596246
Words About Word Play
alt-597a00ef4b9d7
'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Examples of gross in a Sentence

  1. They have suffered a gross injustice.

  2. She has a gross habit of chewing on the ends of her hair.

Origin and Etymology of gross

Middle English grosse, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French gros large, thick, whole, from Late Latin grossus coarse

gross Synonyms

Synonyms
bawdy, blue, coarse, crude, dirty, filthy, foul, obscene, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, nasty, pornographic, porny, profane, raunchy, ribald, smutty, stag, trashy, unprintable, vulgar, wanton, X-rated
Antonyms
clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome
Related Words
broad, coarse-grained, gamy (or gamey), off, off-color (or off-colored), racy, risqué, salacious, salty, suggestive; barnyard, earthy, scatological; immodest, indecorous, indelicate, low, unbecoming; depraved, kinky, louche, naughty, perverse, perverted, wicked; exceptionable, objectionable, unacceptable, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome; abhorrent, debasing, disgusting, loathsome, offensive, repellent (also repellant), repugnant, repulsive, revolting; distasteful, obnoxious, unpleasant; blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible; atrocious, infamous; abusive, scurrilous; hard-core, soft, soft-core
Near Antonyms
priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid, straitlaced (or straightlaced), Victorian; correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly; innocuous, inoffensive; acceptable, agreeable, desirable, pleasant, pleasing, welcome; appropriate, becoming, fit, meet, suitable; immaculate, perfect, pure, spotless, virginal; approved, endorsed (also indorsed), sanctioned

Synonym Discussion of gross

coarse, vulgar, gross, obscene, ribald mean offensive to good taste or morals. coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language. found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding. a loud vulgar belch gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness. gross eating habits obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters. obscene language not allowed on the air ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent. entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

flagrant, glaring, gross, rank mean conspicuously bad or objectionable. flagrant applies usually to offenses or errors so bad that they can neither escape notice nor be condoned. flagrant abuse of the office of president glaring implies painful or damaging obtrusiveness of something that is conspicuously wrong, faulty, or improper. glaring errors gross implies the exceeding of reasonable or excusable limits. gross carelessness rank applies to what is openly and extremely objectionable and utterly condemned. rank heresy
2

gross

noun

Definition of gross

  1. 1 obsolete :  amount, sum

  2. 2 :  overall total exclusive of deductions The company's gross doubled in five years.

Origin and Etymology of gross

see 1gross

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

3

gross

verb

Definition of gross

  1. transitive verb

  2. :  to earn or bring in (an overall total) exclusive of deductions (as for taxes or expenses) The movie grossed over 100 million dollars.

grosser

noun

Examples of gross in a Sentence

  1. They grossed $50,000 before taxes.

Origin and Etymology of gross

see 1gross

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

4

gross

noun

Definition of gross

plural

gross

  1. :  an aggregate of 12 dozen things a gross of pencils

Origin and Etymology of gross

Middle English gros, probably from Anglo-French grosse sum, whole, from feminine of gros

Gross

play
biographical name \ˈgrōs\

Definition of Gross

  1. David J(onathan) 1941–     American physicist

GROSS Defined for English Language Learners

gross

play
adjective

Definition of gross for English Language Learners

  • : very obvious or noticeable

  • : rude or offensive

  • : very disgusting

GROSS Defined for Kids

1

gross

play
adjective \ˈgrōs\

Definition of gross for Students

grosser

;

grossest

  1. 1 :  noticeably bad :  glaring a gross error

  2. 2 :  disgusting a gross habit

  3. 3 :  consisting of a whole before anything is subtracted gross earnings

  4. 4 :  showing poor manners :  vulgar

2

gross

play
noun

Definition of gross for Students

  1. :  the whole before anything is deducted

3

gross

play
noun

Definition of gross for Students

plural

gross

  1. :  twelve dozen

Medical Dictionary

gross

play
adjective \ˈgrōs\

Medical Definition of gross

  1. 1a:  glaringly or flagrantly obviousb:  visible without the aid of a microscope :  macroscopic gross lesions—compare occult

  2. 2:  growing or spreading with excessive or abnormal luxuriance

  3. 3:  of, relating to, or dealing with general aspects or broad distinctions important to understand the gross behavior of the sexually responding animal—A. C. Kinsey

grossly

adverb

Law Dictionary

1

gross

play
adjective \ˈgrōs\

Legal Definition of gross

  1. 1 :  flagrant or extreme especially in badness or offensiveness :  of very blameworthy character a gross violation of the rules of ethics a gross abuse of trust

  2. 2 :  consisting of an overall total exclusive of deductions gross annual earnings — compare net

grossly

adverb

grossness

noun

Origin and Etymology of gross

Middle English, immediately obvious, from Middle French gros thick, coarse, from Latin grossus

2

gross

noun

Legal Definition of gross

  1. :  overall total exclusive of deductions

in gross

  1. 1 :  as a lump sum — see also lump sum alimony at alimony

  2. 2 :  independently existing, belonging to a person, and not attached to land — see also easement in gross at easement

3

gross

transitive verb

Legal Definition of gross

  1. :  to earn or bring in (an overall total) exclusive of deductions (as for taxes or expenses)

Learn More about gross

  1. See words that rhyme with gross Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gross Spanish Central: Translation of gross Nglish: Translation of gross for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of gross for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up gross? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

fester

play

to become worse as time passes

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. transgender Trump reverses military policy allowing transgender people to serve

  2. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  3. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  4. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  5. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

gross

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-597a00ef4b9d7
'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'

A pattern emerges.

alt-5978b44edfb13
Our (Almost) Final Word on 'Penultimate'

The ultimate guide to using penultimate.

alt-5978cb55e8ba5
The Grammatical History of 'Awaken'/'Awoken'/'Awakened'

Or you can just go back to bed.

alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Citation
Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game
Examples: gross in a Sentence
Tip: Synonym Guide