grease

[ noun grees; verb grees, greez ]
See synonyms for grease on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the melted or rendered fat of animals, especially when in a soft state: She always saves the bacon grease to fry her eggs and potatoes in.

  2. fatty or oily matter in general; lubricant: The auto mechanic’s overalls were stained with engine grease and motor oil. The golfer admitted to using a little grease on the face of his driver to reduce sidespin.

  1. Informal. a bribe.

  2. Also called grease wool [grees-wool] /ˈgris ˌwʊl/ . shorn wool before being cleaned of the oily matter.

  3. Also called grease-heel [grees-heel]. /ˈgrisˌhil/. Veterinary Pathology. inflammation of a horse's skin in the fetlock region, accompanied by an oily secretion.

verb (used with object),greased, greasing.
  1. to lubricate by putting a fatty or oily substance on: I think I need to grease my bike chain a little—it’s not moving smoothly.

  2. to smear or cover with a fatty or oily substance: Grease the baking sheet before spooning the dough onto it.In pioneer days they sometimes made windows out of greased paper.

  1. to cause to occur easily or smoothly; facilitate: Extra incentives were offered to grease the trade deal.If it looks like it’ll be an awkward social engagement, he has a stiff drink first to grease the proceedings.

  2. Informal. to bribe.

Idioms about grease

  1. grease (someone's) palm, to bribe: The only way to get a permit in this town is to grease the commissioner's palm.

Origin of grease

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English grese, grece, greice from Anglo-French grece, gresse, Old French craisse (French graisse ) from Vulgar Latin crassia (unrecorded), equivalent to Latin crass(us) fat, thick + -ia noun suffix

Other words from grease

  • grease·less, adjective
  • grease·less·ness, noun
  • grease·proof, adjective
  • re·grease, verb (used with object), re·greased, re·greas·ing.
  • un·greased, adjective
  • well-greased, adjective

Words that may be confused with grease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use grease in a sentence

  • He made his loaves, tucked them into the pan and greased the top with bacon grease saved in a tomato can for such use.

    Cabin Fever | B. M. Bower
  • Cash then took down the little square baking pan, greased from the last baking of bread, and in that he fried his hot cakes.

    Cabin Fever | B. M. Bower
  • They next covered his arms with sleeves made of wadded silk, and then presented him with kid gloves, also greased inside.

    Chicot the Jester | Alexandre Dumas, Pere
  • I was really afraid for a minute that you were serious; and he letting himself be greased and crowned.

    Chicot the Jester | Alexandre Dumas, Pere

British Dictionary definitions for grease

grease

noun(ɡriːs, ɡriːz)
  1. animal fat in a soft or melted condition

  2. any thick fatty oil, esp one used as a lubricant for machinery, etc

  1. Also called: grease wool shorn fleece before it has been cleaned

  2. Also called: seborrhoea vet science inflammation of the skin of horses around the fetlocks, usually covered with an oily secretion

verb(ɡriːz, ɡriːs) (tr)
  1. to soil, coat, or lubricate with grease

  2. to ease the course of: his education greased his path to success

  1. grease the palm of or grease the hand of slang to bribe; influence by giving money to

Origin of grease

1
C13: from Old French craisse, from Latin crassus thick

Derived forms of grease

  • greaseless, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with grease

grease

In addition to the idioms beginning with grease

  • grease someone's palm
  • grease the wheels

also see:

  • elbow grease
  • like greased lightning
  • squeaky wheel gets the grease

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.