grout

1 of 2

noun

ˈgrau̇t 

1

a

: thin mortar used for filling spaces (such as the joints in masonry)

also : any of various other materials (such as a mixture of cement and water or chemicals that solidify) used for a similar purpose

b

: plaster

2

: lees

grout

2 of 2

verb

grouted; grouting; grouts

transitive verb

1

: to fill up or finish with grout

2

: to fix in place by means of grout

grout a bolt into a wall

grouter noun

Examples of grout in a Sentence

Verb

I need to grout the bathroom tiles.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This is achieved through gaskets sealing the segment joints and a 3-inch-thick layer of grout sealant. —Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Sep. 2025

Early the next morning, out on Crotch Island, Ramos led Eglin and a few visitors down an old track littered with rusted machinery and piles of grout (the vulgate for waste rock) to an arena-size section of the quarry where the four men were already busy cutting stone. —Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Verb

The dowels are drilled into the slope and grouted in place in 10-foot by 10-foot patterns. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2025

This Amazon best-seller has thousands of five-star ratings, has sold more than 60,000 times recently, and is incomparable at tackling shower tile and grout grime. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English grut, grout "crushed grain for malt, infused malt, thick, dark ale, mud, slime," going back to Old English grūt "coarse meal, dregs, spent malt after brewing," going back to Germanic *grūta- (whence also Middle Dutch grute, gruut "herb mixture used in beer brewing," Middle High German grūz "a grain, grain of sand"), lengthened zero grade noun derivative from *greutan- "to grind, crush" — more at grit entry 1

Note: Sense 1, which first appears in the seventeenth century, is of uncertain relation to the earlier senses and perhaps of independent origin. Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, suggests a connection to Middle French (Limousin) grouter "to rough-cast," Limousin Occitan greutā, but this isolated word, itself of unknown origin, is of unlikely relevance.

Verb

derivative of grout entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grout

• bout
• clout
• doubt
• drought
• flout
• gout
• kraut
• lout
• out
• pout
• rout
• scout