Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense grafts, present participle grafting, past tense, past participle grafted
1. countable noun
A graft is a piece of healthy skin or bone, or a healthy organ, which is attached to a damaged part of your body by a medical operation in order to replace it.
I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.
Synonyms: transplant, implant More Synonyms of graft
2. verb [usually passive]
If a piece of healthy skin or bone or a healthy organ is graftedonto a damaged part of your body, it is attached to that part of your body by a medicaloperation.
The top layer of skin has to be grafted onto the burns. [beV-ed + onto/on]
Synonyms: transplant, implant More Synonyms of graft
3. verb
If a part of one plant or tree is grafted onto another plant or tree, they are joined together so that they will become one plant or tree, often in order to produce a new variety.
Pear trees are grafted on quince rootstocks. [beV-ed + on/onto]
Synonyms: join, insert, transplant, implant More Synonyms of graft
4. verb
If you graft one idea or system on to another, you try to join one to the other.
The Japanese tried to graft their own methods onto this different structure. [V n + onto]
5. uncountable noun
Graft means hard work.
[British, informal]
His career has been one of hard graft.
Synonyms: labour, work, industry, effort More Synonyms of graft
6. uncountable noun
In politics, graft is used to refer to the activity of using power or authority to obtain money dishonestly.
[mainly US]
...another politician accused of graft.
More Synonyms of graft
graft in British English1
(ɡrɑːft)
noun
1. horticulture
a.
a piece of plant tissue (the scion), normally a stem, that is made to unite with an established plant (the stock), which supports and nourishes it
b.
the plant resulting from the union of scion and stock
c.
the point of union between the scion and the stock
2. surgery
a piece of tissue or an organ transplanted from a donor or from the patient's own body to an area of the body in need of the tissue
3.
the act of joining one thing to another by or as if by grafting
verb
4. horticulture
a.
to induce (a plant or part of a plant) to unite with another part or (of a plant or part ofa plant) to unite in this way
b.
to produce (fruit, flowers, etc) by this means or (of fruit, flowers, etc) to grow by this means
5.
to transplant (tissue) or (of tissue) to be transplanted
6.
to attach or incorporate or become attached or incorporated
to graft a happy ending onto a sad tale
Derived forms
grafter (ˈgrafter)
noun
grafting (ˈgrafting)
noun
Word origin
C15: from Old French graffe, from Medieval Latin graphium, from Latin: stylus, from Greek grapheion, from graphein to write
graft in British English2
(ɡrɑːft) informal
noun
1.
work (esp in the phrase hard graft)
2.
a.
the acquisition of money, power, etc, by dishonest or unfair means, esp by taking advantage of a position of trust
b.
something gained in this way, such as profit from government business
c.
a payment made to a person profiting by such a practice
verb
3. (intransitive)
to work
4.
to acquire by or practise graft
Derived forms
grafter (ˈgrafter)
noun
Word origin
C19: of uncertain origin
graft in American English
(græft; grɑft)
noun
1.
a.
a shoot or bud of one plant or tree inserted or to be inserted into the stem or trunk of another, where it continues to grow, becoming a permanent part; scion
b.
the act or process of inserting such a bud or shoot
c.
the place on a plant or tree where such a bud or shoot has been inserted
d.
a tree or plant with such an insertion
2.
a joining of one thing to another as if by grafting
3. US
a.
the act of taking advantage of one's position, esp. a political position, to gain money, property, etc. dishonestly
b.
anything acquired by such illegal methods, as an illicit profit from government business
4. Surgery
a.
a piece of skin, bone, or other living tissue transplanted or to be transplanted from one body, or place on a body, to another,where it grows and becomes a permanent part
b.
such a transplanting
verb transitive
5.
a.
to insert (a shoot or bud) as a graft
b.
to insert a graft of (one plant) in another
c.
to produce (a fruit, flower, etc.) by means of a graft
6.
to join or make as one
7. Surgery
to transplant (a graft)
verb intransitive
8.
to be grafted
9.
to make a graft on a plant
Derived forms
grafter (ˈgrafter)
noun
Word origin
with unhistoric -t, for earlier graff < ME graffe < OFr, a pencil < L graphium < Gr grapheion, stylus (see graphic): from resemblance of the scion to a pointed pencil
Examples of 'graft' in a sentence
graft
Through sheer graft he built up his own business.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In some cases the facial nerves are incapable to send impulses and grafts will not work.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She grafted one tree but a huge bear dug it up and crushed the branches.
The Sun (2007)
HERE'S another top deal on quality grafted plants.
The Sun (2012)
The art of grafting fruit and other plants has been around for thousands of years.
The Sun (2012)
It takes some serious graft to get celebrity limbs.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They help to maintain the elasticity in the skin grafts and full mobility in my joints.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
She was lucky to survive after her neck was sliced open and now needs skin grafts.
The Sun (2008)
His neck is rebuilt with a bone graft.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The simplest lesson is how sheer hard graft can pay off.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Hard work and graft is the secret.
The Sun (2010)
It was hard graft to the finish line.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Gardeners are certainly coming to realise the benefits of grafted plants.
The Sun (2012)
She is out of hospital but will return for a skin graft operation.
The Sun (2013)
She needed a skin graft following two painful ops to remove infected flesh around the gaping wound.
The Sun (2011)
Sometimes the affected part of the bone is removed and replaced with a metal fitting or a bone graft.
The Sun (2015)
Doctors already knew that small islands of skin can be used instead of one big skin graft in some operations.
The Sun (2012)
Now some of us are enjoying the fruits of graft, we are resented.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Her answer was, through sheer hard graft and creativity.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Lots of working people who graft hard all day look forward to a five-a-side game.
The Sun (2012)
I underwent a number of operations and skin grafts.
The Sun (2009)
In other languages
graft
British English: graft NOUN
A graft is a piece of healthy skin or bone, or a healthy organ, which is attached to a damaged part of your body by a medical operation in order to replace it.
I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.
American English: graft
Brazilian Portuguese: enxerto
Chinese: > 移植物皮肤、骨头等的
European Spanish: injerto
French: greffe
German: Transplantat
Italian: innesto
Japanese: 移植片
Korean: > 이식용 조직장기 등의
European Portuguese: enxerto
Latin American Spanish: injerto
British English: graft VERB
If a piece of healthy skin or bone or a healthy organ is grafted onto a damaged part of your body, it is attached to that part of your body by a medical operation.
The top layer of skin has to be grafted onto the burns.
American English: graft
Brazilian Portuguese: enxertar
Chinese: > 移植皮肤、骨头等的
European Spanish: injertar
French: greffer
German: übertragen
Italian: innestare
Japanese: 移植する
Korean: 이식하다
European Portuguese: enxertar
Latin American Spanish: injertar
Chinese translation of 'graft'
graft
(ɡrɑːft)
n
(c)[of skin, bone]移植物 (yízhíwù)
(u) (Brit, inf, = hard work) 苦差 (kǔchāi)
(u) (US, = bribery) 贿(賄)赂(賂) (huìlù)
vt
to graft (onto)[skin, bone]移植(到) (yízhí (dào)) [plant]嫁接(到) (jiàjiē (dào))
skin/bone graft皮肤(膚)/骨移植 (pífū/gǔ yízhí)
1 (noun)
Definition
a piece of tissue transplanted to an area of the body in need of the tissue
I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.
Synonyms
transplantimplant
2 (noun)
Definition
a small piece of tissue from one plant that is joined to another plant so that they grow together as one
These plants are propagated by grafts, buds or cuttings.
Synonyms
shoot
This week saw the first pink shoots of the new season's crop.
bud
The first buds appeared on the trees.
implant
sprout
splice
scion
1 (verb)
Definition
to transplant (tissue) to an area of the body in need of the tissue
The top layer of skin has to be grafted onto the burns.
Synonyms
transplant
The operation to transplant a kidney is now fairly routine.
implant
Doctors implanted an artificial heart into the 46-year-old man.
2 (verb)
Definition
to join (part of one plant) onto another plant so that they grow together as one
Pear trees are grafted on quince root-stocks.
Synonyms
join
The opened link is used to join the two ends of the chain.
insert
He took a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock.
transplantimplant
splice
He taught me to edit and splice film.
affix
Complete the form and affix four tokens.
ingraft
(noun)
Definition
hard work
His career has been one of hard graft.
Synonyms
labour
the labour of seeding, planting and harvesting
work
This needs time and a lot of hard work.
industry
No one doubted his industry or his integrity.
effort
A great deal of effort had been put into the planning.
struggle
a young lad's struggle to support his poverty-stricken family
sweat
toil
It is only toil which gives meaning to things.
slog
There is little to show for two years of hard slog.
exertion
panting from the exertion of climbing the stairs
travail
He did whatever he could to ease their travail.
blood, sweat, and tears (informal)
(verb)
Definition
to work hard
I really don't enjoy grafting away in a stuffy office all day.
Synonyms
work
My father worked hard all his life.
labour
farmers labouring in the fields
struggle
They had to struggle against all kinds of adversity.