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
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
grayly
adverb
grayness
noun
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
variants
or less commonly grey
grayed also greyed; graying also greying; grays also greys
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.
: to make gray
: the mks unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material
—abbreviation Gy
Synonyms
Example Sentences
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 WebJulianne Mcshane, NBC News, 28 May 2023
The gray bottle disappeared from the sidelines, and for now, the sticky pad has the hearts and soles of players across the N.B.A.
—Kris Rhim, New York Times, 27 May 2023
The victim, who was driving a dark gray SUV with Oregon plates, has not been identified and deputies would like to talk to him.
—The Oregonian, oregonlive, 27 May 2023
Beyond the privacy fence was a trailer park and a row of gray silos at the grain elevator.
—Ted Genoways, The New Republic, 25 May 2023
Made of 100% cedar with a gray finish, this pergola should last for years to come.
—L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 May 2023
The person who passed the bill was in a gray sedan with tinted windows.
—Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2023
During the recent spotting, Heard was seen enjoying a run on the streets of Madrid while wearing athletic attire, including a white tank top, dark gray leggings, and black tennis shoes.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 9 May 2023
Police and witnesses said a gunman parked a gray Honda Accord outside the mall about 30 miles from downtown Dallas at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 May 2023
ELLE Decor, 24 May 2023
Allen suspects the burglars had visited the store and knew where the African grays were located.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2023
Located at the Village at Shea, the restaurant is minimalist in decor, with muted grays and whites accented with alder, birch and hints of walnut.
—Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2023
The other cabinets feature a soft gray instead to convey a feeling of a separate freestanding piece.
—Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 10 May 2023
Their paint scheme promotes airiness too: White up top and on the inset panels of the lower cabinets breaks up the blues and grays.
—House Beautiful, 28 Apr. 2023
In the new brand images and videos, Ice Spice wears the Seamless Sculpt High Neck Thong Bodysuit in the color bronze and PinkPantheress wears the Seamless Sculpt High Waist Catsuit in the color jasper (charcoal gray).
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2023
Warm grays offer more depth and interest than pure white, while maintaining the versatility that makes neutrals so popular in kitchens.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Apr. 2023
Shoppers can choose from 12 hues in all, including neutrals like white and charcoal gray, as well as pastels like aqua blue, available in sizes twin through California king.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2023
Alex Pappademas, Men's Health, 13 May 2023
Restoring mobility of the cells could allow the continuation of pigment production, eliminating graying hair.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 2 May 2023
Same long beard with a few graying hairs, same retro clothing.
—Alex Zhavoronkov, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
Tourists at the top of Griffith Park on Wednesday morning got an accurate view of what it’s looked like to live in Los Angeles of late: gray as far as the eye could see.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2023
Their labor-intensive process is well-displayed in a dapper, full-length dress cascading from black to gray to white that looks like a mink coat.
—Alicia Eler, Star Tribune, 3 Feb. 2021
Study links graying hair to stem cells getting stuck, unable to color new hair growth.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 2 May 2023
The 53-year-old professor grinned from behind his graying beard with the enthusiasm of a mad scientist meeting his test subjects.
—Zachary Small, New York Times, 1 May 2023
Say goodbye to yellowing and graying with these affordable options that deliver serious whitening power.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2023
See More
Adjective
Washington police tweeted that officers were looking for a thin man ages 25 to 27, wearing all black, with curly hair, who had a silver or gray gun.
—Julianne Mcshane, NBC News, 28 May 2023
The gray bottle disappeared from the sidelines, and for now, the sticky pad has the hearts and soles of players across the N.B.A.
—Kris Rhim, New York Times, 27 May 2023
The victim, who was driving a dark gray SUV with Oregon plates, has not been identified and deputies would like to talk to him.
—The Oregonian, oregonlive, 27 May 2023
Beyond the privacy fence was a trailer park and a row of gray silos at the grain elevator.
—Ted Genoways, The New Republic, 25 May 2023
Made of 100% cedar with a gray finish, this pergola should last for years to come.
—L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 May 2023
The person who passed the bill was in a gray sedan with tinted windows.
—Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2023
During the recent spotting, Heard was seen enjoying a run on the streets of Madrid while wearing athletic attire, including a white tank top, dark gray leggings, and black tennis shoes.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 9 May 2023
Police and witnesses said a gunman parked a gray Honda Accord outside the mall about 30 miles from downtown Dallas at around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 May 2023
Noun
The lower ceiling is finished with the matte surface of drywall, and the overall palette is a variation of grays inflected with warm aubergine tones.
—ELLE Decor, 24 May 2023
Allen suspects the burglars had visited the store and knew where the African grays were located.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2023
Located at the Village at Shea, the restaurant is minimalist in decor, with muted grays and whites accented with alder, birch and hints of walnut.
—Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2023
The other cabinets feature a soft gray instead to convey a feeling of a separate freestanding piece.
—Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 10 May 2023
Their paint scheme promotes airiness too: White up top and on the inset panels of the lower cabinets breaks up the blues and grays.
—House Beautiful, 28 Apr. 2023
In the new brand images and videos, Ice Spice wears the Seamless Sculpt High Neck Thong Bodysuit in the color bronze and PinkPantheress wears the Seamless Sculpt High Waist Catsuit in the color jasper (charcoal gray).
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2023
Warm grays offer more depth and interest than pure white, while maintaining the versatility that makes neutrals so popular in kitchens.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Apr. 2023
Shoppers can choose from 12 hues in all, including neutrals like white and charcoal gray, as well as pastels like aqua blue, available in sizes twin through California king.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2023
Verb
As long as this continues to be the case, anyone building a big-budget action film around a graying star could learn a thing or two from the Dad Kicks Ass canon—films that turn their actors’ age into a dramatic asset instead of ignoring it.
—Alex Pappademas, Men's Health, 13 May 2023
Restoring mobility of the cells could allow the continuation of pigment production, eliminating graying hair.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 2 May 2023
Same long beard with a few graying hairs, same retro clothing.
—Alex Zhavoronkov, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
Tourists at the top of Griffith Park on Wednesday morning got an accurate view of what it’s looked like to live in Los Angeles of late: gray as far as the eye could see.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2023
Their labor-intensive process is well-displayed in a dapper, full-length dress cascading from black to gray to white that looks like a mink coat.
—Alicia Eler, Star Tribune, 3 Feb. 2021
Study links graying hair to stem cells getting stuck, unable to color new hair growth.
—Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 2 May 2023
The 53-year-old professor grinned from behind his graying beard with the enthusiasm of a mad scientist meeting his test subjects.
—Zachary Small, New York Times, 1 May 2023
Say goodbye to yellowing and graying with these affordable options that deliver serious whitening power.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2023
See More
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
Phrases Containing gray
Articles Related to gray
Dictionary Entries Near gray
Cite this Entry
“Gray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray. Accessed 31 May. 2023.
Copy Citation
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
adjective
ˈgrā-ish
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
2 of 2biographical name (2)
Thomas 1716–1771 English poet
More from Merriam-Webster on gray
Nglish: Translation of gray for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of gray for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gray
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