gray
gray hair
the colour of dark clouds, neither black nor white
gray hair
Oxford Essential Dictionary
1gray US or chiefly Brit grey /ˈgreɪ/ adj gray·er; -est
1 : having a color between black and white : having a color that is like the color of smoke
• a gray sweater/suit
• gray hair
2 : having gray hair
• What will you do when you are old and gray?
• My friends have all gone gray.
3 : lacking brightness: such as
a : cloudy and dark
• It was a gray winter day.
• a cold, gray dawn
b : very boring or ordinary
• leading a gray existence
c : having or showing little life or energy
• the gray faces of the people in the crowd
- gray·ness US or chiefly Brit grey·ness noun [noncount]
• the grayness of the dawn
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
gray
I. gray /ɡreɪ/ BrE AmE
the usual American spelling of ↑grey
II. grey2 BrE AmE British English, gray American English noun
[uncountable and countable] the colour of dark clouds, neither black nor white:
Do you have these skirts in grey?
dull greys and browns
III. grey3 BrE AmE British English, gray American English verb
[intransitive] if someone greys, their hair becomes grey:
Jim was greying a little at the temples.
a full head of greying hair
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
grey
grey [grey greys greyed greying greyer greyest] (especially BrE) (NAmE usually gray) adjective, noun, verb [ɡreɪ] [ɡreɪ]
adjective
1. having the colour of smoke or ashes
• grey eyes/hair
• wisps of grey smoke
• a grey suit
2. not usually before noun having grey hair
• He's gone very grey.
3. (of the sky or weather) dull; full of clouds
• grey skies
• I hate these grey days.
4. (of a person's skin colour) pale and dull, because they are ill/sick, tired or sad
• The next morning she looked very grey and hollow-eyed.
5. without interest or variety; making you feel sad
• Life seems grey and pointless without him.
6. (disapproving) not interesting or attractive
• The company was full of faceless grey men who all looked the same.
7. only before noun connected with old people
• the grey vote
• grey power
Word Origin:
Old English grǣg, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch grauw and German grau.
Example Bank:
• She was completely grey by the age of thirty.
• The sky looks very grey. I think it's going to rain.
• a light grey suit
• He'd turned quite grey.
• The old man's beard was mostly grey.
• His face was grey with pain.
• It is thought of as a city of grey bureaucracy.
• Ours is a company that isn't run by grey men in suits.
• She had to talk to some grey under-secretary from the Ministry.
Derived Word: greyness
noun
1. uncountable, countable the colour of smoke or ashes
• the dull grey of the sky
• dressed in grey
2. countable a grey or white horse
• She's riding the grey.
Word Origin:
Old English grǣg, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch grauw and German grau.
verb intransitive (of hair)
to become grey
• His hair was greying at the sides.
• a tall woman with greying hair
Word Origin:
Old English grǣg, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch grauw and German grau.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
grey ( US usually gray ) / ɡreɪ / adjective (COLOUR)
A1 of the colour that is a mixture of black and white, the colour of rain clouds:
a grey sky
C2 having hair that has become grey or white, usually because of age:
He started to go/turn grey in his mid-forties.
B2 describes the weather when there are a lot of clouds and little light:
Night turned into morning, grey and cold.
greyness ( US usually grayness ) / ˈɡreɪ.nəs / noun [ U ]
grey ( US usually gray ) / ɡreɪ / adjective (BORING)
C1 boring and sad:
He saw a grey future stretch ahead of him.
greyness ( US usually grayness ) / ˈɡreɪ.nəs / noun [ U ]
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
grey
/greɪ/
(greyer, greyest)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
Note: in AM, use 'gray'
1.
Grey is the colour of ashes or of clouds on a rainy day.
...a grey suit.
COLOUR
2.
You use grey to describe the colour of people’s hair when it changes from its original colour, usually as they get old.
...my grey hair...
Eddie was going grey.
ADJ
3.
If the weather is grey, there are many clouds in the sky and the light is dull.
It was a grey, wet April Sunday.
ADJ
• grey‧ness
...winter’s greyness.
N-UNCOUNT
4.
If you describe a situation as grey, you mean that it is dull, unpleasant, or difficult.
Brazilians look gloomily forward to a New Year that even the president admits will be grey and cheerless.
= bleak
ADJ
• grey‧ness
In this new world of greyness there is an attempt to remove all risks.
N-UNCOUNT
5.
If you describe someone or something as grey, you think that they are boring and unattractive, and very similar to other things or other people.
...little grey men in suits.
ADJ [disapproval]
• grey‧ness
Journalists are frustrated by his apparent greyness.
N-UNCOUNT: with supp
6.
Journalists sometimes use grey to describe things concerning old people.
There was further evidence of grey consumer power last week, when Ford revealed a car designed with elderly people in mind.
ADJ
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1gray US or chiefly Brit grey /ˈgreɪ/ adj gray·er; -est
1 : having a color between black and white : having a color that is like the color of smoke
• a gray sweater/suit
• gray hair
2 : having gray hair
• What will you do when you are old and gray?
• My friends have all gone gray.
3 : lacking brightness: such as
a : cloudy and dark
• It was a gray winter day.
• a cold, gray dawn
b : very boring or ordinary
• leading a gray existence
c : having or showing little life or energy
• the gray faces of the people in the crowd
- gray·ness US or chiefly Brit grey·ness noun [noncount]
• the grayness of the dawn
