groove

1 of 2

noun

1
: a long narrow channel or depression
2
a
: a fixed routine : rut
b
: a situation suited to one's abilities or interests : niche
3
: top form
a great talker when he is in the groove
4
: the middle of the strike zone in baseball where a pitch is most easily hit
a fastball right in the groove
5
: an enjoyable or exciting experience
6
: a pronounced enjoyable rhythm

groove

2 of 2

verb

grooved; grooving

transitive verb

1
a
: to make a groove in
b
: to join by a groove
2
: to perfect by repeated practice
grooved her golf swing
3
: to throw (a pitch) in the groove

intransitive verb

1
: to become joined or fitted by a groove
2
: to form a groove
3
: to enjoy oneself intensely
4
: to interact harmoniously
contemporary minds and rock groove togetherBenjamin DeMott
groover noun

Examples of groove in a Sentence

Noun the grooves on a vinyl record The door slides along a groove in the doorframe. He's a great pitcher when he's in a groove. She hasn't yet found her groove. They've gotten stuck in a groove in their jobs. Verb We grooved to the beat. if you groove that piece of wood, we should be able to fit this smaller board into it
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Travis Kelce may be getting his groove on at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this month — if his schedule allows for it. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024 But the Wildcats found their groove and ripped off 20 wins in their next 22 games. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024 The non-slip handles give you control over every maneuver, and the blades also feature a non-stick coating along with a sap groove to keep them from sticking. Wendy Vazquez, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Apr. 2024 From the smooth melodies of jazz to the iconic grooves of funk, each performance is a celebration of New Orleans’ musical heritage. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024 Sonically, Wetmore’s hip-hop-laced grooves have drawn comparisons to Morgan Wallen, while his twangy vocal phrasing at times sounds like a carbon copy of Wallen. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 1 Apr. 2024 The band moved gracefully from Afrobeat grooves to soul-jazz balladry—including a handful of tracks from their upcoming second LP. Ryan Reed, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024 Gonzaga perfectly illustrated — and attacked — the flaws of a KU team that never consistently hit its groove. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024 These masses seek the source of that sound Friday through Sunday and to absorb the grooves and flashing lights. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
Stone then grooved a 95-mph fastball to Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who crushed a towering 429-foot three-run home run that bounced on top of the netting above the center-field pavilion. Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024 Webster tends to emphasize the music over vocals, grooving with her band and stretching tracks out for minutes at a time. Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 Join the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association and groove to your favorite tunes through wireless headphones, all while celebrating the luck of the Irish. Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 In typical fashion, though, the camera cut to perennial awards show dancer Taylor Swift, who was on her feet grooving to the song and mouthing its lyrics, and laughed in response Cyrus' quip. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 5 Feb. 2024 The fresh cut is bursting with pop vitality, and, since the stroke of midnight, is accompanied with an official music video that follows Max on his travels from Los Angeles, CA to Seoul, South Korea where the pair get down to moving and grooving for the cameras. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 The video cuts between footage of Bacon and Sedgwick separately grooving down the same hallway (presumably in their family home), sporting white tank tops and jeans to emulate Bacon's character from the 1984 classic (with white Crocs for a slightly more modernized look). Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024 Here's a list of fast and slow jams to groove to in the days leading up to Super Bowl 58. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 Soon, well over 1,000 dancers and spectators were grooving with Elzie. Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'groove.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English grove pit, cave, from Middle Dutch groeve; akin to Old High German gruoba pit, cave, Old English grafan to dig — more at grave entry 5

First Known Use

Noun

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1686, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of groove was in 1659

Dictionary Entries Near groove

Cite this Entry

“Groove.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/groove. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

groove

1 of 2 noun
1
: a long narrow channel made in a surface
2
: a fixed routine : rut
3
: top form

groove

2 of 2 verb
grooved; grooving
1
a
: to form a groove in
b
: to become grooved
2
: to enjoy very much

Medical Definition

groove

noun
: a long narrow depression occurring naturally on the surface of an organism or an anatomical part

More from Merriam-Webster on groove

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!