Library / English Dictionary

GREASE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The state of being covered with unclean things

Synonyms:

dirt; filth; grease; grime; grunge; soil; stain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("grease" is a kind of...):

dirtiness; uncleanness (the state of being unsanitary)

Derivation:

grease (lubricate with grease)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A thick fatty oil (especially one used to lubricate machinery)

Synonyms:

grease; lubricating oil

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("grease" is a kind of...):

oil (a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "grease"):

axle grease (a thick heavy grease used to lubricate axles)

Derivation:

grease (lubricate with grease)

greasy (smeared or soiled with grease or oil)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lubricate with grease

Example:

grease the wheels

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "grease" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

grease (the state of being covered with unclean things)

grease (a thick fatty oil (especially one used to lubricate machinery))

Credits

 Context examples: 

Aylward, who had drawn an arrow from his quiver, carefully greased the head of it, and sped it at the same mark.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

First there will be a capital roast; then the fat will find me in goose-grease for six months; and then there are all the beautiful white feathers.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

“No more grease and dirt, mind, and a clean shirt occasionally, or you’ll get a tow over the side. Understand?”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I take off my ring, I wear my worst clothes, I use no bear's grease, and I frequently lament over the late Miss Larkins's faded flower.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Oh! answered she, I used the butter to grease those poor trees that the wheels chafed so: and one of the cheeses ran away so I sent the other after it to find it, and I suppose they are both on the road together somewhere.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

The garment itself did not bear out the assertion, nor did the accumulations of grease on stove and pot and pan attest a general cleanliness.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

I wear a gold watch and chain, a ring upon my little finger, and a long-tailed coat; and I use a great deal of bear's grease—which, taken in conjunction with the ring, looks bad.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Clutching the woodwork of the galley for support,—and I confess the grease with which it was scummed put my teeth on edge,—I reached across a hot cooking-range to the offending utensil, unhooked it, and wedged it securely into the coal-box.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

In the meantime, I put myself on a short allowance of bear's grease, wholly abandoned scented soap and lavender water, and sold off three waistcoats at a prodigious sacrifice, as being too luxurious for my stern career.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)