Standard Lemma guide

grey

adj · name · noun · verb · 25 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.

  • UK, US: grā
  • UK, US: /ɡɹeɪ/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪ
  • CMU ARPABET: G R EY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Synonym of coloured (pertaining to the mixed race of black and white).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: South-Africa, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: coloured

Antonyms: none provided

3

name

Meaning 3

A surname transferred from the nickname, alternative spelling of Gray.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

name

Meaning 4

A placename:

A rural municipality (the Rural Municipality of Grey) in south-central Manitoba, Canada, named after Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

name

Meaning 5

A placename:

A river in the West Coast Region, South Island, New Zealand; in full, Grey River.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

name

Meaning 6

A placename:

A territorial authority, Grey District, on the West Coast, New Zealand, the successor of Grey County.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

name

Meaning 7

A placename:

Ellipsis of Grey County.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

name

Meaning 8

Ellipsis of Grey College, Durham.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, informal, uncountable

Qualifier: Durham University

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

name

Meaning 9

An English earldom.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

A member of the Royal Scots Greys, a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 to 1971.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, historical, in-plural

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the little grey cells
  • gray flannel suit
  • a man with greyish hair

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray, greyish, grayish

Antonyms: none provided

14

adjective satellite

Meaning 14

intermediate in character or position

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a grey area between clearly legal and strictly illegal

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray

Antonyms: none provided

15

adjective satellite

Meaning 15

used to signify the Confederate forces in the American Civil War (who wore grey uniforms)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a stalwart grey figure

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray

Antonyms: none provided

16

adjective satellite

Meaning 16

showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair-Coleridge

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • whose beard with age is hoar
  • nodded his hoary head

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray, grey-haired, gray-haired, grey-headed, gray-headed, grizzly, hoar, hoary, white-haired

Antonyms: none provided

17

noun

Meaning 17

horse of a light gray or whitish color

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: saddle horse, riding horse, mount

18

noun

Meaning 18

clothing that is a grey color

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was dressed in grey

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: clothing, article of clothing, vesture, wear, wearable, habiliment

19

noun

Meaning 19

a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray, grayness, greyness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: achromatic color, achromatic colour

Narrower terms: ash grey, ash gray, silver, silver grey, silver gray, charcoal, charcoal grey, charcoal gray, oxford grey, oxford gray, dapple-grey, dapple-gray, dappled-grey, dappled-gray, iron-grey, iron-gray, tattletale grey, tattletale gray, iron blue, steel grey, steel gray, Davy's grey, Davy's gray

20

noun

Meaning 20

any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are grey

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the Confederate army was a vast grey

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: organization, organisation

Narrower terms: Confederate Army, Army of the Confederacy

21

noun

Meaning 21

Englishman who as Prime Minister implemented social reforms including the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire (1764-1845)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Charles Grey, Second Earl Grey

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: statesman, solon, national leader

22

noun

Meaning 22

Queen of England for nine days in 1553; she was quickly replaced by Mary Tudor and beheaded for treason (1537-1554)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Lady Jane Grey

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: Queen of England

23

noun

Meaning 23

United States writer of western adventure novels (1875-1939)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Zane Grey

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: writer, author

24

verb

Meaning 24

turn grey

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Her hair began to grey

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: discolor, discolour, colour, color

25

verb

Meaning 25

make grey

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The painter decided to grey the sky

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gray

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: color, colorize, colorise, colourise, colourize, colour, color in, colour in

History

Etymology

From Middle English grey, from Old English grēġ (Anglian). The spelling grey reflects the Anglian vowel development, whereas the variant gray stems from the West Saxon form grǣġ (through Middle English gray). Further derived from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz (compare Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵhreh1- (“to green, to grow”) (compare Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ, “to see, to glance”), Russian зреть (zretʹ, “to watch, to look at”) (archaic), Lithuanian žeriù (“to shine”)).