grey or (esp N American) gray /grā/

1. Of a mixture of black and white with little or no hue
2. Dull, dismal
3. Pale
4. Neutral, anonymous
5. Intermediate in character, condition, etc
6. Grey-haired, old, mature
7. Belonging or relating to the elderly

1. A grey colour
2. A grey or greyish animal, esp a horse
3. Grey clothing
4. Dull light
5. Grey hair
6. A middle-aged or old person (slang)
7. A dry, colourless, restrained or uninteresting person (slang)

1. To make grey or dull
2. To indicate (a menu item) as unavailable (computing)

To become grey or dull

greyˈing adjective

1. Becoming grey
2. Becoming older, aging

1. The process of becoming grey
2. (of population) the process or phenomenon of having a growing elderly or retired sector

greyˈish adjective

Somewhat grey

greyˈly adverb

greyˈness noun

grey area noun

1. An area between two extremes, having (mingled) characteristics of both of them
2. A situation in which there are no clear-cut distinctions
3. An area relatively high in unemployment but not classed as a development area (qv)

greyˈbeard noun

1. A person whose beard is grey
2. An old man
3. A stoneware jar for liquor, a bellarmine

greyˈ-coat noun

1. A person who wears a grey coat, esp a pupil in certain schools
2. A Confederate soldier

adjective

Of or relating to a grey-coat

greyˈ-coated adjective

grey economy noun

Unofficial or unusual economic activity not reflected in official information and statistics

grey eminence see éminence grise

greyˈ-eyed adjective

greyˈ-fish noun

1. A dogfish (US)
2. A young coalfish (Scot)

Grey Friar noun

(also without caps) a Franciscan

grey goose noun

The greylag goose

grey-goose quill, grey-goose shaft or grey-goose wing noun (archaic)

An arrow

grey-hairedˈ or grey-headˈed adjective

greyˈhen noun

The female of the black grouse (see under black)

grey knight noun (stock exchange sl)

A third party that makes a counteroffer to buy a company that is subject to an unwanted takeover bid without making its own ultimate intentions clear

greyˈlag or greylag goose noun

A large greyish European goose (Anser anser) (perhaps from its lateness in migrating)

grey literature noun

Material published non-commercially, eg government reports

grey mare see under mare¹

grey market noun

1. The unofficial and often secret, but not necessarily illegal, selling of goods, etc alongside or in addition to an official or open market
2. A financial market trading in shares not yet officially listed

grey matter noun

1. The ashen-grey active part of the brain and spinal cord
2. Intelligence or common sense (informal)

greyˈ-out noun (aeronautics)

A mild or less severe (physical) blackout

grey owl noun

The tawny owl

grey parrot noun

A red-tailed grey African parrot

greyˈscale noun and adjective (TV and computing)

(of or relating to) a scale consisting of different shades of the colour grey

grey seal noun

A type of seal that populates N Atlantic coastal waters

grey squirrel noun

A N American squirrel naturalized in Britain

greyˈstone noun

A grey volcanic rock

grey water noun

Waste water from domestic sinks, baths and showers, that can be reused without purification (cf black water)

grey-wethˈer noun

A grey-coloured, rounded block of sandstone or quartzite, a relic of denudation, looking from a distance like a grazing sheep

grey whale noun

A grey baleen whale, Eschrichtius glaucus, with a mottled skin often disfigured by patches of barnacles

grey wolf noun

The N American timber wolf

the Greys

The Scots Greys (see under Scots)

• control account
• control accounts
• control board
• control boards
• control character
• control characters
• control column
• control engineering
• control event
• control events
• control experiment
• control experiments
• control freak
• control freaks
• control group
• control key
• control keys
• controllabilities
• controllability
• controllable
• controllably
• controlled
• controlled airspace
• controlled drug
• controlled drugs