Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense grasses, present participle grassing, past tense, past participle grassed
1. variable noun
Grass is a very common plant consisting of large numbers of thin, spiky, green leaves that cover the surface of the ground.
Small things stirred in the grass around the tent.
The lawn contained a mixture of grasses.
Synonyms: turf, lawn More Synonyms of grass
2. singular noun
If you talk about the grass, you are referring to an area of ground that is covered with grass, for example in your garden.
In the old days, there were strict fines for walking on the grass or missing a studyperiod.
I'm going to cut the grass.
3. uncountable noun
Grass is the same as marijuana.
[informal]
I started smoking grass when I was about sixteen.
Synonyms: cannabis, blow [slang], pot [slang], weed [slang] More Synonyms of grass
4. verb
If you say that one person grasses on another, the first person tells the police or other authorities about something criminal or wrong which the second person has done.
[British, informal, disapproval]
His sister wants him to grass on the members of his own gang. [VERB + on]
He was repeatedly attacked by other inmates, who accused him of grassing. [VERB]
Synonyms: inform on, shop [slang, mainly British], betray, denounce More Synonyms of grass
Grass up means the same as grass.
How many of them are going to grass up their own kids to the police? [VERBPARTICLE noun]
[Also VERB noun PARTICLE]
5. countable noun
A grass is someone who tells the police or other authorities about criminal activities thatthey know about.
[British, informal, disapproval]
6.
See the grass is greener
7.
See put out to grass
Phrasal verbs:
See grass over
See grass up
More Synonyms of grass
grass in British English
(ɡrɑːs)
noun
1.
any monocotyledonous plant of the family Poaceae (formerly Gramineae), having jointed stems sheathed by long narrow leaves, flowers in spikes, and seedlike fruits. The family includes cereals, bamboo, etc
2.
such plants collectively, in a lawn, meadow, etc
▶ Related adjectives: gramineous, verdant
3.
any similar plant, such as knotgrass, deergrass, or scurvy grass
4.
ground on which such plants grow; a lawn, field, etc
5.
ground on which animals are grazed; pasture
6. a slang word for marijuana
7. British slang
a person who informs, esp on criminals
8. short for sparrowgrass
9. get off the grass
10. kick into the long grass
11. let the grass grow under one's feet
12. put out to grass
verb
13.
to cover or become covered with grass
14.
to feed or be fed with grass
15. (transitive)
to spread (cloth) out on grass for drying or bleaching in the sun
16. (transitive) sport
to knock or bring down (an opponent)
17. (transitive)
to shoot down (a bird)
18. (transitive)
to land (a fish) on a river bank
19. (intransitive; usually foll byon) British slang
to inform, esp to the police
Derived forms
grassless (ˈgrassless)
adjective
grasslike (ˈgrassˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English græs; related to Old Norse, Gothic, Old High German gras, Middle High German gruose sap
Grass in British English
(German ɡras)
noun
Günter (Wilhelm) (ˈɡyntər). 1927–2015, German novelist, dramatist, and poet. His novels include The Tin Drum (1959), Dog Years (1963), The Rat (1986), Crabwalk (2002), and Peeling the Onion (2007). Nobel prize for literature 1999
Grass in American English
(gʀɑs; E grɑs)
ˈGünter (Wilhelm) (ˈgyntɛʀ) ; E ˈguntər) 1927- ; Ger. writer
grass in American English
(græs; grɑs)
noun
1.
any of various plants of the grass family that are usually used for food, fodder, or grazing and as lawns
2.
any grasslike plant of various families having similar uses
3.
ground covered with grass; pasture land or lawn
4.
horizontal lines of clutter on a radarscope caused by electronic noise signals
5. US, Slang
marijuana
6. British, Slang
an informer; stool pigeon
adjective
7.
designating a family (Poaceae, order Cyperales) of monocotyledonous plants with long, narrowleaves, jointed stems, flowers in spikelets, and seedlike fruit, including wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, sugar cane, bamboo, sorghum, and bluegrass
verb transitive
8.
to put (an animal or animals) out to pasture or graze
9.
to grow grass over; cover with grass
10.
to lay (textiles, etc.) on the grass for bleaching by the sun
11. British, Slang
to inform against, as to the police
verb intransitive
12.
to become covered with grass
13. British, Slang
to act as an informer; inform (on)
Idioms:
go to grass
let the grass grow under one's feet
put out to grass
Derived forms
grasslike (ˈgrassˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
ME gras < OE gærs, græs, akin to Ger gras < IE *ghrō-, grow; (sense 4) from the visual resemblance to blades of grass; (sense 6) short for grasshopper, rhyming slang for copper2
More idioms containing
grass
green as grass
put someone out to grass
like watching grass grow
kick something into the long grass
the grass roots
the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence
Now stadium officials have decided to turf out the rye grass surface and lay a fresh pitch.
The Sun (2009)
There are still flowers to be seen on the grass verges of country roads.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The cost of cutting the grass and keeping the woodland under control?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There was no point in endangering the entire grass court season.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This is usually a grass area to pitch your tent or park your caravan or motorhome.
The Sun (2011)
She wrapped her daughter in a shawl and they hid in some long grass by the fence.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They were thin and ill because there was no grass to eat.
The Sun (2013)
Walk slowly and scan grasses and herbaceous plants too.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The grass reaches all the way from the back of the garden to the house.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We did not prune his roses but we mowed the grass and things like that.
The Sun (2014)
The screen can be opened to let grass grow.
The Sun (2015)
Thai cooking is popular because it is basically lots of sugar and salt masked by lemon grass.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
It may look a bit messy for a few weeks but the grass will quickly grow through.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Most were sitting on grass banks rather than in the new grandstand.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
What if you are planting into grass or lawn?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yet the grass always tends to be greener on the other side of the fence.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
Time has covered them in grass and flowers.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Thin grass is another matter and much more successful.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This was seen as a saviour for farmers in the uplands where animals are trapped with little grass for feed.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In a wet season the grass becomes so lush and lanky that it lies down before you think about cutting it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There is generally an hour's work mowing and bringing in grass for the stables.
Smout, T.C. & Wood, Sydney Scottish Voices 1745-1960 (1990)
Should she gain more athleticism, she could be a contender on a grass surface that suits her big hitting.
The Sun (2007)
I have to find grass and bring it up to them, otherwise they'll die.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
grass
British English: grass /ɡrɑːs/ NOUN
plantGrass is a very common green plant with narrow leaves that forms a layer covering an area of ground.
We sat on the grass and ate our picnic.
American English: grass plant
Arabic: عُشْب
Brazilian Portuguese: grama vegetação
Chinese: 草
Croatian: trava
Czech: tráva
Danish: græs
Dutch: gras
European Spanish: césped
Finnish: ruoho kasvi
French: herbe
German: Gras
Greek: γρασίδι
Italian: erba
Japanese: 草
Korean: 풀
Norwegian: gress
Polish: trawa
European Portuguese: relva vegetação
Romanian: iarbă
Russian: трава
Latin American Spanish: césped
Swedish: gräs
Thai: หญ้า
Turkish: ot
Ukrainian: трава
Vietnamese: cỏ
British English: grass /ɡrɑːs/ NOUN
marijuanaGrass is an illegal drug which is usually smoked. It is also called marijuana.
American English: grass marijuana
Arabic: حَشِيش
Brazilian Portuguese: maconha
Chinese: 大麻
Croatian: trava
Czech: tráva marihuana
Danish: græs
Dutch: wiet
European Spanish: hierba
Finnish: ruoho marihuana
French: herbe
German: Gras Marihuana
Greek: μαριχουάνα
Italian: erba
Japanese: マリファナ marijuana
Korean: 마리화나
Norwegian: gress
Polish: trawa
European Portuguese: erva droga ilegal
Romanian: iarbămarijuana
Russian: травка
Latin American Spanish: marihuana
Swedish: gräs
Thai: กัญชา
Turkish: ot esrar
Ukrainian: травка
Vietnamese: cần sa
British English: grass /ɡrɑːs/ NOUN
informer A grass is someone who tells the police or other authorities about criminal activities that they know about.
American English: police informant
Arabic: واشٍ
Brazilian Portuguese: informante
Chinese: 背叛者
Croatian: doušnik
Czech: donašeč
Danish: stikker
Dutch: verklikker
European Spanish: soplón
Finnish: vasikka ilmiantaja
French: indic
German: Spitzel
Greek: χαφιές
Italian: informatore
Japanese: 密告者 informer
Korean: 정보 제공자
Norwegian: tyster
Polish: kapuś
European Portuguese: informador
Romanian: turnător
Russian: доносчик
Latin American Spanish: soplón
Swedish: tjallare
Thai: คนที่ส่งข้อมูลให้ตำรวจ
Turkish: muhbir
Ukrainian: донощик
Vietnamese: người chỉ điểm
All related terms of 'grass'
cut-grass
any grass (esp. Leersia oryzoides ) having tiny hooks along the edges of the blades that cause scratches on the human skin
grass box
a container attached to a lawn mower that receives grass after it has been cut
grass up
to inform on (someone), esp to the police
mat grass
a widespread perennial European grass, Nardus stricta, with dense tufts of bristly leaves, characteristic of peaty moors
oat grass
any of various oatlike grasses , esp of the genera Arrhenatherum and Danthonia , of Eurasia and N Africa
pin grass
common storksbill , a weed with fernlike leaves
rye-grass
Rye grass is a type of grass that is grown for animals such as cows to eat .
saw grass
any of a number of related sedges with saw-edged leaves; esp., the Jamaica saw grass ( Cladium jamaicense ) found in the SE U.S.
sea grass
grass which grows by the sea, or in shallow sea water
beach grass
any of a genus ( Ammophila ) of deeply rooted, tough , perennial grasses that grow on sandy beaches and are often planted to combat beach erosion
bird grass
→ rough bluegrass
blady grass
a coarse leafy Australasian grass , Imperata cylindrica
bunch grass
any of various grasses that grow in tufts
bush grass
a coarse reedlike grass, Calamagrostis epigejos , 1–1 1 ⁄ 2 metres (3–4 1 ⁄ 2 ft) high that grows on damp clay soils in Europe and temperate parts of Asia
cane grass
any of several tall perennial hard-stemmed grasses, esp Eragrostis australasica, of inland swamps
couch grass
a grass , Agropyron repens, with a yellowish-white creeping underground stem by which it spreads quickly: a troublesome weed
crab grass
any of several coarse weedy grasses of the genus Digitaria, which grow in warm regions and tend to displace other grasses in lawns
cutty grass
a species of sedge , Cyperus ustulatus, of New Zealand with sharp leaves
dune grass
See sea lyme grass
flote grass
an aquatic perennial grass , Glyceria fluitans , whose metre-long stems and pale green leaves are often seen floating in still or sluggish water. The related sweet grass ( G . plicata ) has broader , darker leaves and owes its name to the fact that cattle like to eat it
gama grass
a tall perennial grass , Tripsacum dactyloides, of SE North America : cultivated for fodder
goose grass
cleavers
grass carp
a large, weed-eating carp ( Ctenopharyngodon idella ) brought to the U.S. from E Asia to consume the plants in clogged waterways , lakes, etc.; white amur
grass cloth
a cloth made from plant fibres , such as jute or hemp
grass court
a tennis court covered with grass
grass green
a green colour like grass
grass moth
any of a large subfamily of small night-flying pyralid moths , esp Crambus pratellus, that during the day cling to grass stems
grass over
If an area of ground is grassed over , grass is planted all over it.
grass roots
The grass roots of an organization or movement are the ordinary people who form the main part of it, rather than its leaders .
grass skirt
a skirt made from long grass, typically worn by female dancers from some Pacific islands
grass snake
a harmless nonvenomous European colubrid snake , Natrix natrix, having a brownish-green body with variable markings
grass tree
any plant of the Australian genus Xanthorrhoea, having a woody stem , stiff grasslike leaves, and a spike of small white flowers: family Xanthorrhoeaceae . Some species produce fragrant resins
grass widow
a woman divorced , separated , or living away from her spouse
hair grass
any grass of the genera Aira, Deschampsia, etc, having very narrow stems and leaves
hard grass
any of several types of coarse grass
heath grass
a perennial European grass , Danthonia decumbens, with flat hairless leaves
lemon grass
a perennial grass , Cymbopogon citratus, with a large flower spike : used in cooking and grown in tropical regions as the source of an aromatic oil ( lemon grass oil )
lush grass
Grass is a very common plant consisting of large numbers of thin, spiky , green leaves that cover the surface of the ground.
lyme grass
type of perennial dune grass
marsh grass
cordgrass
melic grass
(of poetry , esp ancient Greek lyric poems ) intended to be sung
mondo grass
any of several plants belonging to the genus Ophiopogon , of the lily family, native to western Asia , esp. O . japonicus , having grasslike leaves and lavender or white flowers
moor grass
a grass characteristic of moors , esp purple moor grass ( Molinia caerulea ) of heath and fenland and blue moor grass ( Sesleria caerulea ) of limestone uplands
panic grass
any of various grasses of the genus Panicum , such as millet , grown in warm and tropical regions for fodder and grain
quack grass
→ couch grass
quick grass
→ couch grass
reed grass
a tall perennial grass, Glyceria maxima , of rivers and ponds of Europe, Asia, and Canada
rice grass
a coarse perennial grass of the genus Spartina , characteristically growing in mud or marsh
sago grass
a tall tough grass, Paspalidum globoideum, grown as forage for cattle
salt grass
any of various grasses growing in salt marshes or alkaline soils ; esp., any of a genus ( Distichlis ) of North American perennial grasses