grass

¹

[ gras, grahs ]

noun

1. any plant of the family Gramineae, having jointed stems, sheathing leaves, and seedlike grains. Compare grass family.
2. such plants collectively, as when cultivated in lawns or used as pasture for grazing animals or cut and dried as hay.
3. the grass-covered ground.
4. pasture:

   Half the farm is grass.

5. Slang. marijuana.
6. grasses, stalks or sprays of grass:

   filled with dried grasses.

7. the season of the new growth of grass.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover with grass or turf.
2. to feed with growing grass; pasture.
3. to lay (something) on the grass, as for the purpose of bleaching.

verb (used without object)

1. to feed on growing grass; graze.
2. to produce grass; become covered with grass.

Grass

²

[ grahs; German grahs ]

noun

1. Gün·ter (Wil·helm) [goon, -ter , wil, -helm, gyn, -t, uh, r, , vil, -helm], 1927–2015, German novelist, poet, and playwright.

grass

¹

/ ɡrɑːs /

noun

1. any monocotyledonous plant of the family Poaceae (formerly Gramineae ), having jointed stems sheathed by long narrow leaves, flowers in spikes, and seedlike fruits. The family includes cereals, bamboo, etc
2. such plants collectively, in a lawn, meadow, etc gramineousverdant
3. any similar plant, such as knotgrass, deergrass, or scurvy grass
4. ground on which such plants grow; a lawn, field, etc
5. ground on which animals are grazed; pasture
6. a slang word for marijuana
7. slang.
   a person who informs, esp on criminals
8. short for sparrowgrass
9. get off the grass informal.
   an exclamation of disbelief
10. let the grass grow under one's feet
    to squander time or opportunity
11. put out to grass
    1. to retire (a racehorse)
    2. to retire (a person)

verb

1. to cover or become covered with grass
2. to feed or be fed with grass
3. tr to spread (cloth) out on grass for drying or bleaching in the sun
4. tr sport to knock or bring down (an opponent)
5. tr to shoot down (a bird)
6. tr to land (a fish) on a river bank
7. slang.
   intrusually foll byon to inform, esp to the police

Grass

²

/ ɡras /

noun

1. GrassGünter (Wilhelm)1927MGermanWRITING: novelistTHEATRE: dramatistWRITING: poet Günter ( Wilhelm ) (ˈɡyntər). born 1927, German novelist, dramatist, and poet. His novels include The Tin Drum (1959), Dog Years (1963), The Rat (1986), Crabwalk (2002), and Peeling the Onion (2007). Nobel prize for literature 1999

grass

/ grăs /

1. Any of a large family ( Gramineae or Poaceae ) of monocotyledonous plants having narrow leaves, hollow stems, and clusters of very small, usually wind-pollinated flowers. Grasses include many varieties of plants grown for food, fodder, and ground cover. Wheat, maize, sugar cane, and bamboo are grasses.
2. See more at leaf

Derived Forms

• ˈgrassless, adjective
• ˈgrassˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• grassless adjective
• grasslike adjective
• grassward grasswards adverb adjective
• under·grass noun
• un·grassed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of grass¹

before 900; Middle English gras, Old English græs; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse, Gothic gras; akin to grow, green

Word History and Origins

Origin of grass¹

Old English græs; related to Old Norse, Gothic, Old High German gras, Middle High German gruose sap

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go to grass, to retire from one's occupation or profession:

   Many executives lack a sense of purpose after they have gone to grass.

2. let the grass grow under one's feet, to delay action, progress, etc.; become slack in one's efforts.

More idioms and phrases containing grass

• don't let the grass grow under one's feet
• put out to grass
• snake in the grass

Example Sentences

They’ve even swapped out rubber mats for artificial grass and managed to have enough space to properly separate stations for social distancing.

From Ozy

Remnants of the oldest known grass bedding, discovered in South Africa’s Border Cave, lay on the ashes of previously burned bedding, say archaeologist Lyn Wadley of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and her colleagues.

From Science News

At the same time, he says, mussels provide nutrients that help the grasses grow.

From Science News For Students

We sit with her apart from one another in the grass of her apartment complex.

From Voice of San Diego

Prairies make a good place to live because they’ve got lots of soil, which the grass keeps from washing away.

From Science News For Students

The one caveat: Asprey advises only buying butter made from grass-fed or pastured cows.

From The Daily Beast

A tugboat improbably sits high on the bank, obscured by tall grass, a broken oil rig hangs over the water nearby.

From The Daily Beast

Thus far, the most talked-about Green Friday hotspot is Denver dispensary the Grass Station.

From The Daily Beast

I really turned on in particular to James Joyce, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Günter Grass.

From The Daily Beast

As they passed the runway, bullets shot up from the tall grass, puncturing a fuel tank.

From The Daily Beast

The grass had a delightful fragrance, like new-mown hay, and was neatly wound around the tunnel, like the inside of a bird's-nest.

From Project Gutenberg

She threw out her arms as if swimming when she walked, beating the tall grass as one strikes out in the water.

From Project Gutenberg

The weed growing over every water, and at the bank of the river, shall be pulled up before all grass.

From Project Gutenberg

Everywhere cattle were being sold for a trifle, as there was no grass upon which they could feed.

From Project Gutenberg

We squatted in the long grass and buck-brush, listening, and a few seconds later heard a horse snort distinctly.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• barley
• hay
• meadow
• pasture
• sod
• turf