- animal fat in a soft or melted condition
- any thick fatty oil, esp one used as a lubricant for machinery, etc
- to soil, coat, or lubricate with grease
- grease the palm of, grease the hand of ⇒ slang to influence by giving money to; bribe
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
grease /n. gris; v. gris, griz/USA pronunciation
n., v., greased, greasing.
n. [uncountable]
v. [~ + object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026n. [uncountable]
- the melted fat of animals, esp. when in a soft state.
- fatty or oily matter in general;
lubricant:grease for the axle of the car.
v. [~ + object]
- to put grease on;
lubricate:to grease the axle of a car. - to make smooth:Money greased his way in society.
- Idioms grease someone's palm or hand, to give someone money as a bribe.
grease
(n. grēs;v. grēs, grēz),USA pronunciation n., v., greased, greasing.
n.
v.t.
grease′less, adj.
grease′less•ness, n.
grease′proof′, adj.
n.
- the melted or rendered fat of animals, esp. when in a soft state.
- fatty or oily matter in general;
lubricant. - TextilesAlso called grease′ wool′. wool, as shorn, before being cleansed of the oily matter.
- Informal Termsa bribe.
v.t.
- to put grease on;
lubricate:to grease the axle of a car. - to smear or cover with grease.
- to cause to occur easily;
smooth the way;
facilitate. - Informal Termsto bribe.
- Idioms grease someone's palm. See palm 1 (def. 11).
- Vulgar Latin *crassia, equivalent. to Latin crass(us) fat, thick + -ia noun, nominal suffix
- Anglo-French grece, gresse, Old French craisse (French graisse)
- Middle English grese, grece, greice 1250–1300
grease′less•ness, n.
grease′proof′, adj.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
grease n /ɡriːs; ɡriːz/
'greasing' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):