grease

UK: /ˈgriːs/

US: /n. gris; v. gris, griz/

US: (n. grēs; v. grēs, grēz)

Inflections of 'grease' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

greases

v 3rd person singular

greasing

v pres p

greased

v past

greased

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

grease /n. gris; v. gris, griz/   n., v., greased, greasing. 
n. [uncountable]

1. the melted fat of animals, esp. when in a soft state.
2. fatty or oily matter in general;
   lubricant:
   grease for the axle of the car.

v. [~ + object]

3. to put grease on;
   lubricate:
   to grease the axle of a car.
4. to make smooth:
   Money greased his way in society.

Idioms

5. Idioms grease someone's palm or hand, to give someone money as a bribe.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

grease  (n. grēs;v. grēs, grēz), n., v., greased, greasing. 
n. 

1. the melted or rendered fat of animals, esp. when in a soft state.
2. fatty or oily matter in general;
   lubricant.
3. Textiles Also called grease′ wool′. wool, as shorn, before being cleansed of the oily matter.
Also called grease-heel  (grēs′hēl′). [Vet. Pathol.] inflammation of a horse's skin in the fetlock region, attended with an oily secretion.
4. Informal Terms a bribe.

v.t. 

5. to put grease on;
   lubricate:
   to grease the axle of a car.
6. to smear or cover with grease.
7. to cause to occur easily;
   smooth the way;
   facilitate.
8. Informal Terms to bribe.
9. Idioms grease someone's palm. See palm ¹ (def. 11).

• Vulgar Latin *crassia, equivalent. to Latin crass(us) fat, thick + -ia noun, nominal suffix
• Anglo-French grece, gresse, Old French craisse (French graisse)
• Middle English grese, grece, greice 1250–1300

grease′less, adj. 
grease′less•ness, n. 
grease′proof′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

grease noun / ɡriːs ɡriːz/

1. animal fat in a soft or melted condition
2. any thick fatty oil, esp one used as a lubricant for machinery, etc

verb / ɡriːz ɡriːs/(transitive)

1. to soil, coat, or lubricate with grease
2. grease the palm of, grease the hand of ⇒ to influence by giving money to; bribe

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French craisse, from Latin crassus thick