grey

adjective

less common spelling of gray

1

a

: of the color gray

b

: tending toward gray

blue-gray eyes

c

: dull in color

2

: having gray hair

grew old and gray

3

: clothed in gray

4

a

: lacking cheer or brightness in mood, outlook, style, or flavor

also : dismal, gloomy

a gray day

b

: prosaically ordinary : dull, uninteresting

… the … boring, gray dullness of government …

—P. J. O'Rourke

5

: having an intermediate and often vaguely defined position, condition, or character

an ethically gray area

Usage of Gray and Grey

Gray and grey are both accepted spellings. Gray is more frequent in US English, while grey is preferred in Canada, the UK, and elsewhere.

Examples of grey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The second is the Mar-TEA-ni, which combines gin, early grey tea, lemon, and honey into one refreshing drink. —Megan Dubois, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2026

Mango wood is covered with a grey wash over a light brown stain to give the table a pre-distressed look, and three roomy drawers leave ample space for cramming in kitchen items. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Jan. 2026

Cruz, wearing a Santa hat, shimmied behind a boogieing Victoria, 51, clad in a form-fitting grey dress. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026

Seduced by sun, sea and sangria—an irresistibly exotic promise for those departing grey Northern European climes in the 1960s—the first wave of foreign holidaymakers to stumble upon Spain’s Costa Blanca saw fishing villages turn into tourist resorts practically overnight. —Zoë Dare Hall, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for grey

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

grey

variant of gray

Medical Definition

grey, greyout

chiefly British variant of gray, grayout

Biographical Definition

Grey 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

ˈgrā 

2nd Earl 1764–1845 Charles Grey English statesman; prime minister (1830–34)

Grey

2 of 4

biographical name (2)

Sir Edward 1862–1933 Viscount Grey of Fallodon ˈfa-lə-dᵊn  English politician

Grey

3 of 4

biographical name (3)

Lady Jane 1537–1554 titular queen of England for 9 days

Grey

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

Zane 1875–1939 American novelist