grid

noun

ˈgrid 

1

: grating

2

a(1)

: a perforated or ridged metal plate used as a conductor in a storage battery

(2)

: an electrode consisting of a mesh or a spiral of fine wire in an electron tube

(3)

: a network of conductors for distribution of electric power

also : a network of radio or television stations

b

: a network of uniformly spaced horizontal and perpendicular lines (as for locating points on a map)

also : something resembling such a network

a road grid

c

: gridiron sense 3

broadly : football

3

: the starting positions of cars on a racecourse

4

: a device in a photocomposer on which are located the characters to be exposed as the text is composed

Examples of grid in a Sentence

The students plotted points on a grid.

The city streets form a grid.

Recent Examples on the Web

Simply put, some of the weather events that happen in space can affect the power grid and communication systems here on Earth. —Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026

Two days before the conference began, Cuba’s national power grid failed amid the ongoing US fuel blockade of the island, which began after the US cut the flow of oil between Venezuela and Cuba in the wake of Maduro’s capture. —Max Saltman, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026

Off-grid systems, by contrast, operate independently at the household level. —ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026

The usual malcontents raised hell when the Public Service Commission approved a $7 billion rate hike in 2025, but that’s the cost of maintaining and improving the grid. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from gridiron

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing grid

• cattle grid
• micro-grid
• off-grid
• off-the-grid

Rhymes for grid

• bid
• did
• hid
• id
• lid
• mid
• quid
• rid
• skid
• slid
• squid
• amid

Kids Definition

grid

noun

ˈgrid 

1

: grating sense 1

2

: a metal plate used as a conductor in a storage battery

3

: an element of an electron tube consisting of a network of fine wire

4

: a network of horizontal and perpendicular lines (as for locating points on a map using coordinates or for counting a sample of particles or organisms on a microscope slide)

5

: a network of conductors for distribution of electrical power

also : a network of radio or television stations