gaygay1 /ɡeɪ/ ●●○ S3 W3 adjective 
the gay community in London gay men and lesbians a gay bar a campaigner for gay rights (=equal treatment for gay people)2old-fashioned bright or attractive: gay colours3old-fashioned cheerful and excited: She felt excited and quite gay.4with gay abandon in a careless way, without careful thought5informal stupid or not good. Some people think that this word is offensive.: · That was a gay thing to do!—gayness noun [uncountable] → gaily, gaiety
WORD ORIGINgay1
Origin:
1200-1300 Old French gai ‘happy’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Gay and lesbian couples should be eligible for the same health benefits as married heterosexual couples.
- He didn't even realize that Elton John was gay!
- Kirkland is an especially popular figure in the gay community.
- the gay community
- The president's record with gay rights groups has been good.
- There are very few gay men on television.
- Thousands of people attended the Gay Pride march in Brighton last weekend.
- As a gay man I find your sudden input of gay advertising patronising.
- But once I got into this set of gay men, it took over my social life almost completely.
- Frankie, a pleasure-chasing group led by out-front gay men had become family entertainers.
- I went to my first gay pub.
- Many of the Catholics of this city are gay or lesbian citizens.
- The gay protagonist gets shot in the end.
- The White House announcement drew bitter reaction from the gay community.
- Yet in many urban gay male settings, life is segregated by age to an almost astonishing degree.
Longman Language Activatorgay
sexually attracted to people of the same sex: · There are very few gay men on television.· The president's record with gay rights groups has been good.· Thousands of people attended the Gay Pride march in Brighton last weekend.· He didn't even realize that Elton John was gay!gay community: · Kirkland is an especially popular figure in the gay community.gay and lesbian: · Gay and lesbian couples should be eligible for the same health benefits as married heterosexual couples.
a woman who is sexually attracted to other women: · I didn't realize I was a lesbian until I was in my twenties.· Lang was the first major pop star to come out as a lesbian.
formal or written sexually attracted to people of the same sex: · Steve was 18 when he told his parents he was homosexual.· Greek literature provides evidence for homosexual activity among both males and females.
sexually attracted to both men and women: · Although Tony's married, he's bisexual.· Oberlin College has a large gay, lesbian, and bisexual student group.· Woolf believed that all human beings are basically bisexual.
hatred and fear of people who are gay: · There's still a lot of homophobia in American society.· Issues of racism, sexism, and homophobia were discussed.
not gay sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex - use this especially when you are also talking about gay people: · Most of the people who come to the club are heterosexual, but we do get a small number of gay men.· The law applies to both heterosexual and homosexual employees.
not gay - use this especially when you are comparing people who are not gay with people who are: · Straight men often feel nervous in the company of gays.· She's straight but she's got a lot of lesbian friends.
to tell people you are gay if someone who is gay comes out , they say publicly that they are gay: · John came out to his family last year.
if you out someone, especially a well-known person, you say publicly that they are gay when they have tried to keep this a secret: · The Advocate, a national gay magazine, outed the congressman.· The Air Force pilot was afraid of being outed by his ex-lover.
not having told people you are gay to not have told other people that you are gay: · We provide help for young people who are in the closet and are too scared to come out.
WORD SETSamber, nounamethyst, nounapricot, nounaquamarine, nounashen, adjectiveauburn, adjectiveazure, adjectivebar, nounbarred, adjectivebeige, nounblack, adjectiveblack, nounblack, verbblack and white, adjectiveblacken, verbbleed, verbblood-red, adjectiveblue, adjectiveblue, nounbluish, adjectivebold, adjectivebottle green, nounbrassy, adjectivebrindled, adjectivebronze, nounbronze, adjectivebrown, adjectivebrown, nounbuff, nounburgundy, nouncarmine, nouncarroty, adjectivecerise, nouncerulean, nounchartreuse, nouncherry, nounchestnut, nounchestnut, adjectivechromatic, adjectivechrome yellow, nounclaret, nounclear, adjectivecoffee, nouncool, adjectivecopper, nouncoral, adjectivecream, adjectivecreamy, adjectivecrimson, adjectivecyan, adjectivedappled, adjectivedapple-grey, nounDay-Glo, adjectivediscoloration, noundiscolour, verbdrab, adjectivedull, adjectivedun, noundusky, adjectivedye, verbebony, adjectivefawn, adjectiveflaxen, adjectiveflesh-coloured, adjectiveflorid, adjectivefluorescent, adjectiveflush, nounfuchsia, noungarish, adjectivegarnet, noungaudy, adjectivegay, adjectiveginger, adjectivegold, noungold, adjectivegolden, adjectivegray, green, adjectivegreen, noungreenish, adjectivegrey, adjectivegrey, noungreyish, adjectivehazel, adjectiveindigo, nouniridescent, adjectiveivory, nounjade, nounjet-black, adjectivekhaki, nounlavender, nounleaden, adjectivelemon, nounlilac, nounlily-white, adjectivelime green, nounlivid, adjectiveloud, adjectiveluminous, adjectivelurid, adjectivemagenta, nounmagnolia, nounmahogany, nounmaroon, nounmatch, nounmauve, nounmellow, adjectivemellow, verbmonochrome, adjectivemousy, adjectivemuddy, adjectivemulticoloured, adjectivemustard, nounmuted, adjectivenavy blue, adjectiveneutral, adjectiveochre, nounoff-white, nounolive, nounopalescent, adjectiveorange, nounpale, adjectivepastel, nounpastel, adjectivepeach, nounpea green, nounpearly, adjectivepepper-and-salt, adjectivepink, adjectivepink, nounpinkish, adjectiveplum, nounplum, adjectivepowder blue, nounprimary colour, nounprimrose, nounprismatic, adjectivepuce, adjectivepure, adjectivepurple, nounpurplish, adjectivered, adjectivered, nounredden, verbreddish, adjectiveredhead, nounrestrained, adjectiverich, adjectiverose, nounrose, adjectiveroseate, adjectiverose-coloured, adjectiverosy, adjectiveroyal blue, nounruby, nounruddy, adjectiverusset, nounsable, adjectivesaffron, nounscarlet, adjectivesepia, nounshade, nounshocking pink, nounsienna, nounsilver, nounsilver, adjectivesilvery, adjectivesky-blue, adjectivesnow-white, adjectivesnowy, adjectivesoft, adjectivesombre, adjectivesteely, adjectivetaupe, nountawny, adjectiveteal, nountint, nountint, verbtone, nounturquoise, nountwo-tone, adjectiveultramarine, nounumber, nounvermilion, nounvibrant, adjectiveviolet, nounwarm, adjectivewaxen, adjectiveweak, adjectivewhite, adjectivewhite, nounwhiten, verbwhitish, adjectiveyellow, adjectiveyellow, nounyellow, verbyellowy, adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY the gay community in London a campaigner for gay rights (=equal treatment for gay people)COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
the gay community in London a campaigner for gay rights (=equal treatment for gay people) (=people who are homosexual)· This part of the city has a large gay community.
(=a marriage between two homosexual people, which is not legal in many places)· a proposal to allow same-sex marriage in the state
· a gay rights campaigner
(=clubs and pubs where gay people go)· He knew his way around the New York gay scene.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· He will become the most powerful openly gay man in the world.· The group endorsed 32 openly gay and lesbian candidates in state and local races this year; 27 of them were elected.· He continues to campaign for the right of Catholics to be openly gay.· Barney Frank, D-Mass., one of three openly gay lawmakers.· Overall, the number of openly gay psychologists remains low.· Zingale also said he hopes for the appointment of an openly gay Cabinet secretary.· And under the aegis of the Duke, a powerful protector, Strayhorn was able to live an openly gay life.
NOUN· At one point a furious gay activists delegation turned up.· That same year, she supported gay activist Cleve Jones when he considered opposing Brown for his Assembly seat.· He deserves better than to be criticised by gay activists with such a cheap shot.· It took a couple of years to develop, but gay activists say they believe that storm has arrived.· And that is what gay activists in more and more places are seeking.· The 6-3 ruling was hailed by gay activists as a landmark in homosexual rights.· These liberals, these feminists, these gay activists.· The very behaviors that gay activists had spent years promoting seemed to have contained the seeds of disaster.
· At the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village eight cops moved in for another raid on a gay bar.· It is a shock when you see some one my size walk into a gay bar.· Two men had jumped them, outside a gay bar.· Many gay bars were, and are, recognized places for picking up partners for one-night stands.· I was the first woman ever into one of the famous gay bars.· Every major city has two gay bars, the Spike and the Eagle.· There are some gay bars in Saigon.· Most of these gay bars are just like ordinary servicemen bars except without girls.
· In recent years the soap genre has hosted a number of gay characters.· Yes, there are already many minor gay characters on television.· As usual in liberal dramas, the gay character is noble and articulate.· I was behind the daring introduction of that sympathetic gay character named JuJuBes.· The first gay characters appeared on the silent screen 70 years ago, when archly effeminate sissies were exploited for cheap laughs.
· Castells gives as an example the gay community in San Francisco.· The White House announcement drew bitter reaction from the gay community.· That's very important for the gay community to respect.· The conventional wisdom in the gay community is that 10 percent of the adult population is gay or lesbian.· Other identifications - whether with feminism, the gay community, independent activist organisations - are derided as bourgeois and self-limiting.· If the device is found to be safe, Schatz predicts significant interest in the product within the gay community.· This clause provoked considerable anger amongst the gay community and some concern amongst local authorities.· Late last night, anxious police called a hastily arranged news conference to issue an urgent warning to the gay community.
· A gay couple may wish to share a room.· Clinton has opposed extending the legal protections and benefits of marriage to gay couples since 1992, Glynn said.· Lesbian and gay couples should have these rights, too.· Robin Williams plays Armand, the relatively butch half of a gay couple.· Granted, gay couples are denied the basic rights that heterosexual married couples enjoy.
· Consider two kinds of ambivalent transgressive reinscription within gay culture, camp and machismo.· To recognize that the transformation of gay culture begins at home.· But of course such differences have always been erotically invested, not least in lesbian and gay cultures.· These standards are built right into gay culture, and operate in thousands of ways.· One of the most basic ways to make gay culture more sustainable is to create an honored place for relationships and fidelity.· But I do take my own role in the acceptance of gay culture in society as one with pride and responsibility.· So perhaps another way to foster a more sustainable gay culture would be to create institutions that promote intergenerational interaction.· Yet urban gay culture works against such regulation in many ways.
· Gerry: When I started with the organization in 1982 there were no Black or gay groups.· Alistair took up with a well-off gay group on the Hill.· Those countries where public attitudes are most tolerant are those where homosexuals are most visible, and gay groups most active.· After he moved to Jersey, one year he held the banner of some New Jersey gay group.
· It was only in 1977 that I became even vaguely aware of gay liberation.· It may seem odd, but this deviant definition of homosexuality contributed greatly to the rise of gay liberation.· This happened just before I went to the first gay liberation meeting in London.· Far from being accidents, these things characterized the very foundation of what it supposedly meant to experience gay liberation.· Lesbian and gay liberation is perceived as doing so, because liberation. as opposed to rights, threatens the position of the heterosexual family.· The facts of male homosexuality are also endlessly misrepresented and confused by the homosexual women who often speak for gay liberation.
· Some needed only to know that we existed - that was enough for them to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the gay life.· Their actions, setting and dialogue are sprinkled with touchstones of gay life.· Perhaps Alistair was right: his gay life had been the exception rather than the rule.· The gay life becomes a traumatic and life-changing obsession.· And under the aegis of the Duke, a powerful protector, Strayhorn was able to live an openly gay life.
· As officially married couples, gay men and lesbians will be able to claim pension benefits if a partner dies.· It has been estimated that in the early eighties the average infected gay man infected an average of five additional gay men.· There were those - particularly gay men - who argued that there was no need for any gay politics at all.· And some gay men have been known to borrow drugs from acquaintances who are HIV-positive.· Are lesbians and gay men born or made?· As gay men grow older they have little to connect them to the vibrancy and hope of a younger generation.· A little voice deep within her asks if going there with five gay men is the best way to achieve this.· The last outbreak of Hepatitis A in the city occurred in 1992 when the virus was localized among gay men.
· But they are wrong to see gay marriage as trivial or frivolous.· Some polls show as many as 70 percent of respondents oppose gay marriage.· Would gay marriage weaken the standard variety?· He supports a ban on gay marriages.· But it looks like Clinton has been grandstanding on the subject of gay marriage.· Moving with unusual speed, the House is expected to approve on Friday a controversial bill to limit gay marriages.
· Jeffrey: I like the idea of seeing the gay movement as an attitude of mind.· The gay movement needs to make its case.· This decision is both a success for your organisation and for the international lesbian and gay movement.· We need a gay movement with international contacts, so that we can inform, stimulate and support each other.
· I think gay people have become a target group for people who no longer target racial minorities.· This was an indication of those gay people who work at all levels of broadcasting.· In addition, there are growing networks of gay religious organizations that provide places for gay people to express their spirituality.· I probably knew about half a dozen gay people intimately.· I think there are a lot of gay people in heavy metal -- everywhere.· It's a mean place for anyone to live, but particularly bad for gay people.· There was a lot of discrimination toward gay people, and others as well.
· Then in the eighties, as disease swept the gay population, perceptions began to change.· Similar numbers were seen in other cities with large gay populations.· Hepatitis B.. Far more dangerous was the growing epidemic of hepatitis B in the gay population.
· But it also had an unexpected psychological impact on the gay world itself.· In the gay world, however, almost the opposite was the case.· After Stonewall this process sharply accelerated, creating a radical new medical situation in the gay world.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1if someone, especially a man, is gay, they are sexually attracted to people of the same sex SYN homosexual: - As a raconteur and conversationalist, scattering indiscretions and gossip with gay abandon, he was the acme of unconventionality.
the gay community in London gay men and lesbians a gay bar a campaigner for gay rights (=equal treatment for gay people)2old-fashioned bright or attractive: gay colours3old-fashioned cheerful and excited: She felt excited and quite gay.4with gay abandon in a careless way, without careful thought5informal stupid or not good. Some people think that this word is offensive.: · That was a gay thing to do!—gayness noun [uncountable] → gaily, gaiety