gray

gray¹

also grey G0243000 (grā)adj. gray·er, gray·est also grey·er or grey·est 1. Of or relating to an achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white.2. a. Dull or dark: a gray, rainy afternoon.b. Lacking in cheer; gloomy: a gray mood.3. a. Having gray hair; hoary.b. Old or venerable.4. Intermediate in character or position, as with regard to a subjective matter: the gray area between their differing opinions on the film's morality.n.1. An achromatic color of any lightness between the extremes of black and white.2. An object or animal of the color gray.3. often Graya. A member of the Confederate Army in the Civil War.b. The Confederate Army.v. grayed, gray·ing, grays also greyed or grey·ing or greys v.tr. To make gray.v.intr.1. To become gray.2. a. To become old; age.b. To include a large or increasing proportion of older people: "Federal food programs can't keep up with the nation's rapidly graying population" (Michael J. McCarthy).

[Middle English grei, from Old English grǣg.]

gray′ly adj.gray′ness n.

gray²

G0243000 (grā)n. Abbr. Gy The SI unit for the energy absorbed from ionizing radiation, equal to one joule per kilogram.

[After Louis Harold Gray (1905-1965), British radiobiologist.]

gray

(ɡreɪ) adj, n, vb (Colours) a variant spelling (now esp US) of grey ˈgrayish adj ˈgrayly adv ˈgrayness n

gray

(ɡreɪ) n (Units) the derived SI unit of absorbed ionizing radiation dose or kerma equivalent to an absorption per unit mass of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material. 1 gray is equivalent to 100 rads. Symbol: Gy [C20: named after Louis Harold Gray (1905–65), English physicist]

Gray

(ɡreɪ) n1. (Biography) Simon (James Holiday). 1936–2008, British writer: his plays include Butley (1971), The Common Pursuit (1988), Life Support (1997), and Japes (2001)2. (Biography) Thomas. 1716–71, English poet, best known for his Elegy written in a Country Churchyard (1751)

gray

or grey

(greɪ)

adj. gray•er, gray•est or grey•er, grey•est,
n., v. adj. 1. of a color between white and black; having a neutral hue. 2. dark or gloomy: gray skies. 3. dull or monotonous. 4. having gray hair. 5. pertaining to old age; elderly: gray households. 6. indeterminate and intermediate in character: the gray area between realism and abstraction. n. 7. any achromatic color; any color intermediate between white and black. 8. something of this color. 9. gray material or clothing: to dress in gray. 10. an unbleached and undyed condition. 11. (often cap.) a member of the Confederate army in the American Civil War, or the army itself. Compare blue (def. 5). 12. a horse of a gray color. v.t., v.i. 13. to make or become gray. [before 900; Old English grǣg, c. Middle Dutch grau, gra, Old High German grāo, Old Norse grār] gray′ly, adv. gray′ness, n.

Gray

(greɪ)

n. 1. Asa, 1810–88, U.S. botanist. 2. Thomas, 1716–71, English poet.

gray

(grā) A unit used to measure the energy absorbed from radiation. One gray is equal to one joule per kilogram, or 100 rads.

grey, gray - The distinction in spelling between British grey and American gray is recent, popping up in the 20th century.See also related terms for recent.

Gray

See Also: COLORS, GLOOM, HAIR COLOR, SKY, WEATHER

An ash-gray … like that of the first thinning of the darkness after a rain-sodden night —Dan Jacobson
(His face was) faintly gray like newsprint —John Updike
(Eyes) gray as a goose —Geoffrey Chaucer
Gray as a vault —Elizabeth Spencer
Gray as bones —Martin Cruz Smith
Gray as cement —Philip Levine
(The weather had turned as) gray as concrete —Jean Thompson
Gray as flannel —Jonathan Valin In his novel, Life’s Work, Valin thus describes what remains of a man’s hair: “Bald on top, gray as flannel on the sides.”
(Eyes) gray as glass —Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer used the simile in The Canterbury Tales (The Miller’s Tale) and Shakespeare used it in Gentlemen of Verona.
Gray as lava —D. H. Lawrence
(Skin) gray as lead —William Diehl
(Warships) gray as sharks —George Garrett
(Eyes … ) gray as storm clouds —Margaret Millar
(Max was) gray as the sky —Susan Fromberg Schaeffer
Gray like dust —Algernon Charles Swinburne
Gray [hair] like the last snows of winter —John Cheever
Gray like washed slate —John Updike
(Eyes had gone) icy gray, like winter frost —Andrew Kaplan

gray

Past participle: grayed
Gerund: graying

Imperative
gray
gray

Present
I gray
you gray
he/she/it grays
we gray
you gray
they gray

Preterite
I grayed
you grayed
he/she/it grayed
we grayed
you grayed
they grayed

Present Continuous
I am graying
you are graying
he/she/it is graying
we are graying
you are graying
they are graying

Present Perfect
I have grayed
you have grayed
he/she/it has grayed
we have grayed
you have grayed
they have grayed

Past Continuous
I was graying
you were graying
he/she/it was graying
we were graying
you were graying
they were graying

Past Perfect
I had grayed
you had grayed
he/she/it had grayed
we had grayed
you had grayed
they had grayed

Future
I will gray
you will gray
he/she/it will gray
we will gray
you will gray
they will gray

Future Perfect
I will have grayed
you will have grayed
he/she/it will have grayed
we will have grayed
you will have grayed
they will have grayed

Future Continuous
I will be graying
you will be graying
he/she/it will be graying
we will be graying
you will be graying
they will be graying

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been graying
you have been graying
he/she/it has been graying
we have been graying
you have been graying
they have been graying

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been graying
you will have been graying
he/she/it will have been graying
we will have been graying
you will have been graying
they will have been graying

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been graying
you had been graying
he/she/it had been graying
we had been graying
you had been graying
they had been graying

Conditional
I would gray
you would gray
he/she/it would gray
we would gray
you would gray
they would gray

Past Conditional
I would have grayed
you would have grayed
he/she/it would have grayed
we would have grayed
you would have grayed
they would have grayed

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	gray - a neutral achromatic color midway between white and blackgrayness, greyness, greyachromatic color, achromatic colour - a color lacking hue; white or grey or blackash gray, ash grey, silver gray, silver grey, silver - a light shade of greycharcoal gray, charcoal grey, oxford gray, oxford grey, charcoal - a very dark grey colordappled-gray, dappled-grey, dapple-gray, dapple-grey - grey with a mottled pattern of darker grey markingsiron-gray, iron-grey - the color of freshly broken cast irontattletale gray, tattletale grey - a greyish whiteDavy's gray, Davy's grey, iron blue, steel gray, steel grey - slightly purplish or bluish dark grey
	2.	gray - clothing that is a grey color; "he was dressed in grey"greyarticle of clothing, clothing, habiliment, wearable, vesture, wear - a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
	3.	gray - any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are grey; "the Confederate army was a vast grey"greyorganization, organisation - a group of people who work togetherArmy of the Confederacy, Confederate Army - the southern army during the American Civil War
	4.	gray - horse of a light gray or whitish colorgreymount, riding horse, saddle horse - a lightweight horse kept for riding only
	5.	gray - the SI unit of energy absorbed from ionizing radiation; equal to the absorption of one joule of radiation energy by one kilogram of matter; one gray equals 100 radGyradioactivity unit - a measure of radioactivity
	6.	Gray - English radiobiologist in whose honor the gray (the SI unit of energy for the absorbed dose of radiation) was named (1905-1965)Louis Harold Grayradiobiologist - a biologist who studies the effects of radiation on living organisms
	7.	Gray - English poet best known for his elegy written in a country churchyard (1716-1771)Thomas Gray
	8.	Gray - American navigator who twice circumnavigated the globe and who discovered the Columbia River (1755-1806)Robert Gray
	9.	Gray - United States botanist who specialized in North American flora and who was an early supporter of Darwin's theories of evolution (1810-1888)Asa Gray
Verb	1.	gray - make grey; "The painter decided to grey the sky"greycolor, color in, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film"
	2.	gray - turn grey; "Her hair began to grey"greydiscolour, discolor, color, colour - change color, often in an undesired manner; "The shirts discolored"
Adj.	1.	gray - of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black; "the little grey cells"; "gray flannel suit"; "a man with greyish hair"grayish, grey, greyishachromatic, neutral - having no hue; "neutral colors like black or white"
	2.	gray - showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair; "whose beard with age is hoar"-Coleridge; "nodded his hoary head"grey-haired, grey-headed, grizzly, hoar, hoary, white-haired, gray-haired, gray-headed, greyold - (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age; "his mother is very old"; "a ripe old age"; "how old are you?"
	3.	gray - used to signify the Confederate forces in the American Civil War (who wore grey uniforms); "a stalwart grey figure"greysouthern - in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line; "southern hospitality"; "southern cooking"; "southern plantations"
	4.	gray - intermediate in character or position; "a grey area between clearly legal and strictly illegal"greyintermediate - lying between two extremes in time or space or state; "going from sitting to standing without intermediate pushes with the hands"; "intermediate stages in a process"; "intermediate stops on the route"; "an intermediate range plane"

Translations

灰色的

gray

→ 灰色的zhCN

gray

get gray hair from (someone or something)

To be exceedingly worried, stressed, or upset by or about something or someone. I'm getting gray hair from these kids screaming all day long. I'm going to get gray hair from my teenage daughter and all her wild behavior. I'm going to get gray hair from dealing with this stupid car breaking down all the time!See also: get, gray, hair

the grey pound

The economic purchasing power of elderly people as a group. Primarily heard in UK. As the baby-boom generation enters old age, many different markets are trying to capitalize on the burgeoning influence of the grey pound.See also: grey, pound

the gray dollar

The economic purchasing power of elderly people as a group. Primarily heard in US. As the baby-boom generation enters old age, many different markets are trying to capitalize on the burgeoning influence of the gray dollar.See also: dollar, gray

all cats are grey at night

In the dark of night, appearances do not matter (because it is so difficult to see anything). A: "I can't believe you're going on a date with someone you've never met before! What if you don't think he's attractive?" B: "Ah, all cats are grey at night, so it will be fine."See also: all, cat, grey, night

all cats are grey by night

In the dark of night, appearances do not matter (because it is so difficult to see anything). A: "I can't believe you're going on a date with someone you've never met before! What if you don't think he's attractive?" B: "Ah, all cats are grey by night, so it will be fine."See also: all, by, cat, grey, night

grey area

A concept or topic that is not clearly defined or that exists somewhere between two extreme positions. Primarily heard in Australia. There's a large grey area regarding whether the use of the new surveillance technology is lawful.See also: area, grey

grey amber

Another term for ambergris, a waxy substance excreted by sperm whales and used as a fixative, especially in the preparation of perfumes. The large chunk of grey amber that washed ashore is worth more than gold!See also: amber, grey

grey power

The influence exerted by the elderly people in an organization, community, etc. When I decided to run for office, I knew that grey power would be an important factor in the election and that I needed to rally support from the elderly.See also: grey, power

all cats are gray in the dark

In the dark of night, appearances do not matter (because it is so difficult to see anything). A: "I can't believe you're going on a date with someone you've never met before! What if you don't think he's attractive?" B: "Ah, all cats are gray in the dark, so it will be fine."See also: all, cat, dark, gray

gray matter

Intelligence. In medicine, gray matter is tissue in the brain and spinal cord. Come on in—we could use your gray matter as we try to solve this problem.See also: gray, matter

Dorian Gray

A nickname applied to someone who doesn't seem to age. The phrase refers to the titular character in Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, who makes a deal with an artist so that a painting of him ages, but he does not. Your grandfather must be like Dorian Gray because he doesn't look 70, let alone 90!See also: gray

old gray mare

old-fashioned Something or someone that is aged, obsolete, or outdated. An allusion to the folk song "Old Gray Mare," especially its opening line: "The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be." It's (rare) modern use is usually somewhat derogatory. It may not have fancy apps or let me surf the Internet, but this old gray mare is still the only phone I need. I may be an old gray mare, but I still know how to get up and cut a rug on the dance floor.See also: gray, mare, old

gray hair

1. Literally, hair that has lightened to a grayish color, typically due to aging. I'm only 30—how do I have gray hair already?2. By extension, negative or undesired physical effects (such as hair that has lightened) due to being exceedingly worried, stressed, or upset by or about something or someone. I'm getting gray hair from being around these screaming kids all day long. I'm going to get gray hair from my teenage daughter and all her wild behavior. I'm going to get gray hair from dealing with this stupid car breaking down all the time!See also: gray, hair

have gray hair

1. Literally, to have hair that has lightened to a grayish color, typically due to aging. I'm only 30—how do I have gray hair already?2. By extension, to experience negative or undesired physical effects (such as having gray hair) from being exceedingly worried, stressed, or upset by or about something or someone. I'm going to have gray hair after being around these screaming kids all day long. I'm going to have gray hair from my teenage daughter and all her wild behavior. I'm going to have gray hair from dealing with this stupid car breaking down all the time!See also: gray, hair, have

give (one) gray hair

To cause one to experience negative or undesired physical effects (such as having gray hair) by making them exceedingly worried, stressed, or upset. Dealing with these screaming kids all day is enough to give me gray hair. Oh boy, my teenage daughter and all her wild behavior is going to give me gray hair. Dealing with this stupid car breaking down all the time is going to give me gray hair!See also: give, gray, hair

the old gray mare ain't what she used to be

old-fashioned Something or someone is aged, obsolete, or outdated. The phrase comes from the opening line of the folk song "Old Gray Mare." Its (rare) modern use is usually somewhat derogatory. Man, that's a terrible sound coming from my car. I guess the old gray mare ain't what she used to be. A: "What happened, Mom? You used to be a great dancer." B: "Well, the old gray mare ain't what she used to be!"See also: gray, mare, old, she, used, what

All cats are gray in the dark.

Prov. When in the dark, appearances are meaningless, since everything is hard to see or unseen. I don't care if my date is ugly. All cats are gray in the dark.See also: all, cat, dark, gray

(a) gray area

Fig. an area of a subject or question that is difficult to put into a particular category because it is not clearly defined and may have connections or associations with more than one category. The responsibility for social studies in the college is a gray area. Several departments are involved. Publicity is a gray area in that firm. It is shared between the marketing and design divisions.See also: area, gray

*gray hair(s)

1. Lit. a lightening of the hair caused by aging or hereditary factors. (*Typically: get ~ have ~ give someone ∼.) I get more gray hair the older I get. I guess my genes give me gray hair. 2. Fig. a lightening of the hair caused by stress or frustration. (*Typically: get ~ have ~ give someone ∼.) I'm getting gray hairs because I have three teenage boys. I have gray hair from raising four kids.See also: gray, hair

gray matter

Fig. intelligence; brains; power of thought. Use your gray matter and think what will happen if the committee resigns. Surely they'll come up with an acceptable solution if they use some gray matter.See also: gray, matter

get gray hair from

Be very worried or upset by. For example, I know I'm going to get gray hair from his driving. Similarly, give gray hair to means "to worry someone," as in The boy's love of rock climbing gave his parents gray hair. This idiom alludes to the notion that extreme anxiety or grief can cause one's hair to turn gray. [Early 1600s] See also: get, gray, hair

gray area

Indeterminate territory, undefined position, neither here nor there. For example, There's a large gray area between what is legal and what is not. This term, which uses gray in the sense of "neither black nor white" (or halfway between the two), dates only from the mid-1900s. See also: area, gray

gray matter

Brains, intellect, as in If you'd only use your gray matter, you'd see the answer in a minute. This expression refers to actual brain tissue that is gray in color. Agatha Christie's fictional detective, Hercule Poirot, constantly alludes to using the little gray cells for solving a crime. [Late 1800s] See also: gray, matter

all cats are gray after dark/at night

Without sufficient knowledge one cannot distinguish between alternatives. This assertion appeared in numerous proverb collections, beginning with John Heywood’s of 1546, where it was put, “When all candels be out, all cats be grey.” A still older version, dating back some 2,000 years and stated by the Roman writers Ovid and Plutarch as well as by later writers, had it that all women are the same in the dark, a view now disputed by all but the most hardened misogynists. See also: after, all, cat, dark, gray, night

gray eminence

The power behind the throne; a person who wields considerable power but secretly or surreptitiously. The term is a translation from the French of éminence grise. This phrase originally referred to François Leclerc du Tremblay (1577–1638), the trusted behind-the-scenes adviser of Cardinal Richelieu. The term came into English in the early 1940s when Aldous Huxley wrote a book about Tremblay entitled Grey Eminence (1941). See also power behind the throne.See also: eminence, gray

Dorian Gray

Someone who never appears to age. In his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde told the story of the title character who made a Faustian arrangement with an artist to paint his portrait, the proviso being that Gray would not age, but the face in his painting would. As with such pacts, Gray lived to rue it. It didn't take long before “Dorian Gray” was applied to anyone who showed no signs of aging. If, for example, after ten or twenty years you met a long-lost friend who looked much the same as when you last saw him or her, you would acknowledge that miracle as “Hey, it's Dorian Gray.” And if your friend recognized the allusion, the reply was likely to be, “Yeah, but you should see the painting in my attic.”See also: gray

the old gray mare

The passage of time. A folk song attributed to Stephen Foster and supposedly referring to a 19th-century harness-racing horse named Lady Suffolk begins, “Oh, the old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be . . . Many long years ago.” Unkind people used the image to refer women “of a certain age” (or older), although when used by themselves about themselves, it has an air of self-deprecating resignation. For example, a middle-aged woman who leaves the dance floor short of breath after a vigorous jitterbug may wipe her brow, reach for a cold drink, and exclaim, “The old gray mare ain't what she used to be.”See also: gray, mare, old

gray

gray 1

gray 2

gray

gray

Gray

gray

or grey

Gray

gray

Gray

gray

gray

gray

get gray hair from (someone or something)

the grey pound

the gray dollar

all cats are grey at night

all cats are grey by night

grey area

grey amber

grey power

all cats are gray in the dark

gray matter

Dorian Gray

old gray mare

gray hair

have gray hair

give (one) gray hair

the old gray mare ain't what she used to be

All cats are gray in the dark.

(a) gray area

*gray hair(s)

gray matter

get gray hair from

gray area

gray matter

all cats are gray after dark/at night

gray eminence

Dorian Gray

the old gray mare

gray

gray

Gray

gray

gray

Gray

gray

gray

gray

gray (Gy),

gray

gray

gray

gray

gray

Synonyms for gray

noun a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black

Synonyms

Related Words

noun clothing that is a grey color

Synonyms

Related Words

noun any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are grey

Synonyms

Related Words

noun horse of a light gray or whitish color

Synonyms

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noun the SI unit of energy absorbed from ionizing radiation

Synonyms

Related Words

noun English radiobiologist in whose honor the gray (the SI unit of energy for the absorbed dose of radiation) was named (1905-1965)

Synonyms

Related Words

noun English poet best known for his elegy written in a country churchyard (1716-1771)

Synonyms

noun American navigator who twice circumnavigated the globe and who discovered the Columbia River (1755-1806)

Synonyms

noun United States botanist who specialized in North American flora and who was an early supporter of Darwin's theories of evolution (1810-1888)

gray¹

gray²