group

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
: two or more figures forming a complete unit in a composition
went there as a group
2
a
: a number of individuals assembled together or having some unifying relationship
a study group
b
: an assemblage of objects regarded as a unit
one of the food groups
c(1)
: a military unit consisting of a headquarters and attached battalions
(2)
: a unit of the U.S. Air Force higher than a squadron and lower than a wing
3
a
: an assemblage of related organisms
often used to avoid taxonomic connotations when the kind or degree of relationship is not clearly defined
b(1)
: two or more atoms joined together or sometimes a single atom forming part of a molecule
especially : functional group
a methyl group
(2)
: an assemblage of elements forming one of the vertical columns of the periodic table
c
: a bed or layer of rocks deposited during an era
4
: a mathematical set that is closed under a binary associative operation, contains an identity element, and has an inverse for every element

group

2 of 2

verb

grouped; grouping; groups

transitive verb

1
: to combine in a group
grouped English and Dutch as Germanic languages
2
: to assign to a group : classify
The children were grouped by age.

intransitive verb

1
: to form a group
The students grouped around the table.
2
: to belong to a group
3
: to make groups of closely spaced hits on a target
the gun grouped beautifullyR. C. Ruark
groupable adjective

Examples of group in a Sentence

Noun It'll be easier if we go there as a group. She presented the idea to the group. We like to let these students work in groups whenever possible. She belongs to an environmental group. She joined a discussion group. A select group of scientists has been invited to the conference. Verb you should first group the invertebrates by genus group the kids together and we'll see who's missing
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In becoming Diageo’s chief, Crew, 53, joined the small but mighty group of women leading FTSE 100 companies. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 8 Mar. 2024 The family-friendly event will take place downtown on Saturday and will feature nearly 60 different performance groups, including dancers, marching bands and classic cars, according to the parade website. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 Business groups, including the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, have said the freeway expansion would be a boon for the state's economy. Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 The number of miscarriages and stillbirths has also increased, according to doctors and aid groups. Naomi Schanen, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Women wore blue ahead of Biden's address Other lawmakers wore blue attire on Wednesday to express solidarity with the Israeli hostages still being held by militant group Hamas in Gaza. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Following the departure of their bassist Charlie Holt earlier this week, indie rock group Rainbow Kitten Surprise is ready to move forward into their fantasy with their latest single. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 King’s College London’s study, a snapshot of present-day cross-generational opinions in the U.K., revealed that 16-29-year-old men were more likely than any other group (including men over 60) to think that being a man is harder than being a woman. Luba Kassova, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 Vivendi finalized the acquisition of Lagardere during the second half of 2023 after selling its publishing group Editis and Gala magazine, a flagship title of Prisma Group, in order to address anti-trust concerns by the European Commission. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Small, midsize and large cities were grouped by population size, with large cities having 350,000 or more people. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Or, smaller groups of friends can registered together and be grouped on the same team. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 17 Feb. 2024 The changes also would have grouped together RPM and RTM and done away with specific categories around therapeutic monitoring for musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions in favor of more general categories. Mario Aguilar, STAT, 15 Feb. 2024 Master players may group with other players within 1 Skill Tier of their own Skill Rank. Kris Holt, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 The 200,000 safety pins — which volunteers spend months grouping together in sets of four — cost $1,500 to $2,000. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2024 Rather than throwing everything on a massive list, tasks and task sequences are grouped neatly under categories. Yaniv Shor, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Feeding can take anywhere from 3-12 minutes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and the bites are often grouped closely together, sometimes in lines or even zig-zag patterns. John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 Other kinds of sharks, skates, and rays – a trio of animals often grouped together – have had these kinds of pregnancies in human care. Ben Finley, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'group.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

French groupe, from Italian gruppo, by-form of groppo knot, tangle, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German kropf craw — more at crop

First Known Use

Noun

1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1706, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of group was in 1668

Dictionary Entries Near group

Cite this Entry

“Group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/group. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

group

1 of 2 noun
1
: a number of objects or persons considered as a unit
2
a
: a number of living things having some natural relationship
b
: a combination of atoms commonly found together in a molecule
a methyl group
3
: a small band : combo
a rock group

group

2 of 2 verb
: to arrange or combine in a group
group children by ages

Medical Definition

group

noun
often attributive
1
: a number of individuals assembled together or having some unifying relationship
2
a
: an assemblage of related organisms
often used to avoid taxonomic connotations when the kind or degree of relationship is not clearly defined
b(1)
: an assemblage of atoms forming part of a molecule
especially : functional group
(2)
: an assemblage of elements forming one of the vertical columns of the periodic table

More from Merriam-Webster on group

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