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
b
: prosaically ordinary : dull, uninteresting
… the … boring, gray dullness of government …—
P. J. O'Rourke
P. J. O'Rourke5
: 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
While there are six sumptuous shades, only white, grey, lilac, and green are available.
—Sheri Kaz, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2025
The Restoration Hardware Oval Office Last but not least, Restoration Hardware’s version is by far the most expensive design at $74,234—and appear to channel the millennial grey color palette.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
The third suspect was wearing a grey hoodie , Moncayo said.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 2025
Writer-director Rian Johnson, 51, offers not one but two clerics – Josh O’Connor’s young priest and Josh Brolin’s fire and brimstone grey-bearded Monsignor – plus Glenn Close’s indispensable church lady in an upstate New York small-town community.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grey
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Sheri Kaz, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2025
The Restoration Hardware Oval Office Last but not least, Restoration Hardware’s version is by far the most expensive design at $74,234—and appear to channel the millennial grey color palette.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
The third suspect was wearing a grey hoodie , Moncayo said.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 24 Nov. 2025
Writer-director Rian Johnson, 51, offers not one but two clerics – Josh O’Connor’s young priest and Josh Brolin’s fire and brimstone grey-bearded Monsignor – plus Glenn Close’s indispensable church lady in an upstate New York small-town community.
—Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grey
Cite this Entry
“Grey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grey. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationBiographical Definition
Grey 1 of 4
biographical name (1)
2nd Earl 1764–1845 Charles Grey English statesman; prime minister (1830–34)
Grey
2 of 4biographical name (2)
Sir Edward 1862–1933 Viscount
Grey of Fallodon
ˈfa-lə-dᵊn 
English politician
English politician
Grey
3 of 4biographical name (3)
Lady Jane 1537–1554 titular queen of England for 9 days
Grey
4 of 4biographical name (4)
Zane 1875–1939 American novelist
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