Standard Lemma guide

gravitate

verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɡɹævɪteɪt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: G R AE1 V IH0 T EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To move under the force of gravity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: astrophysics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To tend or drift towards someone or something, as though being pulled by gravity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, intransitive

Examples

  • Children naturally gravitate to such a big, friendly man.
  • The guests slowly gravitated to the kitchen.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

move due to the pull of gravitation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The stars gravitate towards each other

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: move

4

verb

Meaning 4

be attracted to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Boys gravitate towards girls at that age

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: be

5

verb

Meaning 5

move toward

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The conversation gravitated towards politics

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tend, be given, lean, incline, run

History

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin gravitāt-, past participial stem of gravitō.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: бивам притеглен (bivam priteglen) — to move under the force of gravity
  • Esperanto: graviti — to move under the force of gravity
  • Irish: imtharraing — to move under the force of gravity
  • Polish: grawitować — to move under the force of gravity
  • Portuguese: gravitar — to move under the force of gravity
  • Russian: гравитировать (gravitirovatʹ) — to move under the force of gravity
  • Tagalog: dumagsin — to move under the force of gravity
  • Bulgarian: гравитирам (gravitiram) — to tend or drift towards someone or something, as though being pulled by gravity
  • Finnish: hakeutua — to tend or drift towards someone or something, as though being pulled by gravity
  • Finnish: suuntautua — to tend or drift towards someone or something, as though being pulled by gravity
  • Irish: imtharraing — to tend or drift towards someone or something, as though being pulled by gravity
  • Polish: grawitować — to tend or drift towards someone or something, as though being pulled by gravity