rye

UK: /ˈraɪ/ US: /raɪ/ ,(rī)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

rye¹ /raɪ/   n. [uncountable]

1. Plant Biology a cereal grass.
2. Plant Biology the seeds or grain of this plant, used for making flour and whiskey.
3. Food bread made from this grain.
4. Wine Also called ˈrye ˈwhis•key. 
   • a straight whiskey made from a crushed pulp containing 51 percent or more rye grain.
   • , British Terms, Dialect Terms [Northeastern U.S. and Canada.] a blended whiskey.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

rye¹ (rī),  n. 

1. Plant Biology a widely cultivated cereal grass, Secale cereale, having one-nerved glumes and two- or three-flowered spikelets.
2. Plant Biology the seeds or grain of this plant, used for making flour and whiskey, and as a livestock feed.
3. Food See rye bread. 
4. Wine a straight whiskey distilled from a mash containing 51 percent or more rye grain.
5. British Terms, Dialect Terms [Northeastern U.S. and Canada.] a blended whiskey.

adj. 

6. made with rye grain or flour:
   rye rolls.
   Also called rye whiskey (for defs. 4, 5).

• bef. 900; Middle English; Old English ryge; cognate with Old Norse rūgr; akin to Dutch rogge, German Roggen

rye² (rī), n. 

1. Language Varieties a male Gypsy.

• Romany rai
• 1850–55

Rye (rī), n. 

1. Place Names a city in SE New York, on Long Island Sound. 15,083.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

rye / raɪ/ noun

1. a tall hardy widely cultivated annual grass, Secale cereale, having soft bluish-green leaves, bristly flower spikes, and light brown grain
2. the grain of this grass, used in making flour and whiskey, and as a livestock food
3. Also called: rye whiskey whiskey distilled from rye. US whiskey must by law contain not less than 51 per cent rye
4. 
   short for ryebread

Etymology: Old English ryge; related to Old Norse rugr, Old French rogga, Old Saxon roggo

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Rye / raɪ/ noun

1. a resort in SE England, in East Sussex: one of the Cinque Ports. Pop: 4195 (2001)