gray

1 of 4

adjective

variants or less commonly grey
1
a
: of the color gray
b
: tending toward gray
blue-gray eyes
c
: dull in color
2
: having the hair gray : hoary
3
: clothed in gray
4
a
: lacking cheer or brightness in mood, outlook, style, or flavor
also : dismal, gloomy
a gray day
b
: prosaically ordinary : dull, uninteresting
the boring, gray dullness of governmentP. J. O'Rourke
5
: having an intermediate and often vaguely defined position, condition, or character
an ethically gray area
grayly adverb
grayness noun

gray

2 of 4

noun (1)

variants or less commonly grey
1
: any of a series of neutral colors ranging between black and white
2
: something (such as an animal, garment, cloth, or spot) of a gray color
3
a
: a soldier in the Confederate army during the American Civil War
b
often capitalized : the Confederate army

gray

3 of 4

verb

variants or less commonly grey
grayed also greyed; graying also greying; grays also greys

intransitive verb

1
: to become gray
2
: age
also : to contain an increasing percentage of older people
The town's population has grayed over the last two decades.

transitive verb

: to make gray

gray

4 of 4

noun (2)

: the mks unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material
abbreviation Gy

Examples of gray in a Sentence

Adjective What will you do when you are old and gray? My friends have all gone gray. It was a gray winter day. the gray faces of the people in the crowd
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Fort Erie bursts with American tourists in the summertime, but today is empty on a gray May morning. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 19 June 2025 In the video, the woman, who is wrapped in a gray blanket, is being questioned in a holding facility in Pullman, Washington, in connection with an unrelated incident. Kayna Whitworth, ABC News, 19 June 2025
Noun
There’s a deceptive simplicity to her portraits, which often place her subjects against a single, vibrant hue—perhaps to contrast with their skin tones, rendered in shades of gray. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 10 June 2025 But true to its reputation, the month of May gave us a lot of gray and June will likely give us some gloom. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2025
Verb
By focusing on solving specific issues, starting with frizz and graying roots, Color Wow has tapped into a lucrative trend, explains Dan Su, a beauty analyst at Morningstar. Gigi Zamora, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025 The coastal areas will continue to see May gray in the morning and patchy fog that clears out in the afternoon, keeping temperatures fairly mild for the next two days. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for gray

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun (1), and Verb

Middle English, from Old English grǣg; akin to Old High German grīs, grāo gray

Noun (2)

Louis H. Gray †1965 British radiobiologist

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gray was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

gray

1 of 2 adjective
variants also grey
ˈgrā
1
: of the color gray
also : dull in color
2
: having gray hair
3
: lacking cheer or brightness : dismal
a gray day
grayness noun

gray

2 of 2 noun
variants also grey
1
: one of the series of neutral colors ranging between black and white
2
: something gray
gray verb
grayish
ˈgrā-ish
adjective

Medical Definition

gray

1 of 2 noun
variants or chiefly British grey
: any of a series of neutral colors ranging between black and white
gray adjective
or chiefly British grey

gray

2 of 2 noun
: the mks unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material
abbreviation Gy

Biographical Definition

Gray 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Asa 1810–1888 American botanist

Gray

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Thomas 1716–1771 English poet

More from Merriam-Webster on gray

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!