gray

1 of 4

adjective

variants or less commonly grey
1
a
: of the color gray
b
: tending toward gray
blue-gray eyes
c
: dull in color
2
: having the hair gray : hoary
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 governmentP. J. O'Rourke
5
: having an intermediate and often vaguely defined position, condition, or character
an ethically gray area
grayly adverb
grayness noun

gray

2 of 4

noun (1)

variants or less commonly grey
1
: any of a series of neutral colors ranging between black and white
2
: something (such as an animal, garment, cloth, or spot) of a gray color
3
a
: a soldier in the Confederate army during the American Civil War
b
often capitalized : the Confederate army

gray

3 of 4

verb

variants or less commonly grey
grayed also greyed; graying also greying; grays also greys

intransitive verb

1
: to become gray
2
: age
also : to contain an increasing percentage of older people
The town's population has grayed over the last two decades.

transitive verb

: to make gray

gray

4 of 4

noun (2)

: the mks unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material
abbreviation Gy

Examples of gray in a Sentence

Adjective What will you do when you are old and gray? My friends have all gone gray. It was a gray winter day. the gray faces of the people in the crowd
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The church sits in an isolated part of a hilly expanse in the middle of nowhere, perpetually surrounded by a parade of gray clouds. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Shelton carries a no-nonsense demeanor and sports a thick gray goatee, a San Fernando Valley version of Josh Brolin. Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. Todd Spangler, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 On this subfreezing day in late January, snow blankets the station’s gray roof. Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 His head, decorated with errant coils of dark gray hair, is framed by a gargantuan television that hangs behind him, its screen a black expanse. Maya Binyam, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Their slim but relaxed fit comes in a variety of colors, from tamarind to heather gray. Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2024 Bertinelli wore an ivory power suit, teamed with metallic accessories and a bouncy blowout — not a gray hair in sight. Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2024 Any hair can turn gray, and that goes for pubic hair, too. Tracee Cornforth, Verywell Health, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
The search is on for the driver of a gray or silver 2020 Honda Civic that was caught on dashcam video slamming into a motorcyclist, Florida Highway Patrol says. Pilar Arias, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2024 There are four colors available, including midnight, silver, space gray and starlight. Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 There’s terror in his eyes, and his skin grays by the second. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 The touchless dispensers are offered in three different colorways — navy, white and soft gray — and can be refilled with ease, eliminating single-use plastics. Hannah Chubb, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 The afternoon seemed drab under its gray blanket of clouds, streaked by lower clouds of even darker gray. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 Looking for a gray like Gabrielle Union's to give it a try yourself? Marci Robin, Allure, 1 Mar. 2024 The oversized top has generous length, too, and comes in more than 40 colors and patterns, from solid gray to red-and-black lumberjack plaid. Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 26 Feb. 2024 One, Rachel, an African gray, was supposedly quite talkative. Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
Social media video emerged of the tornado looming eerily against graying skies at dusk. Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Every nation will grapple with the social and economic factors that accompany a graying population. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 The only obvious difference between the two Ioniq 6 cars was that the one with less efficiency wore shiny paint versus the matte gray better-performing one. Evan Williams, Ars Technica, 15 Aug. 2023 One assailant, wearing black gloves and a graying black beard, stood on a third-floor apartment balcony and, as deputies came closer, threw a Molotov cocktail at two white cars parked below. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2024 During his hospital stay, Loyola had graying fingertips, swelling and excruciating pain that would wake him up at night, the complaint claims. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024 Polland, who has a cascade of graying hair, explained why he was chosen for the honor. Ismail Ibrahim, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024 Epstein's 1993 passport application shows his hair graying and his fortunes improving. James Hill, ABC News, 15 Jan. 2024 And the Chucks go from maroon low-tops to gray high-tops. Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 2 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gray.' 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

Adjective, Noun (1), and Verb

Middle English, from Old English grǣg; akin to Old High German grīs, grāo gray

Noun (2)

Louis H. Gray †1965 British radiobiologist

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gray was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gray

Cite this Entry

“Gray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gray

1 of 2 adjective
variants also grey
ˈgrā
1
: of the color gray
also : dull in color
2
: having gray hair
3
: lacking cheer or brightness : dismal
a gray day
grayness noun

gray

2 of 2 noun
variants also grey
1
: one of the series of neutral colors ranging between black and white
2
: something gray
gray verb
grayish
ˈgrā-ish
adjective

Medical Definition

gray

1 of 2 noun
variants or chiefly British grey
: any of a series of neutral colors ranging between black and white
gray adjective
or chiefly British grey

gray

2 of 2 noun
: the mks unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material
abbreviation Gy

Biographical Definition

Gray 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Asa 1810–1888 American botanist

Gray

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Thomas 1716–1771 English poet

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