grid

UK: /ˈgrɪd/ US: /grɪd/ ,(grid)

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

grid /grɪd/   n. [countable]

1. Electricity a grating of crossed bars;
   gridiron.
2. Architecture a network of evenly spaced lines running up and down and left to right, for locating points on a map, chart, building plan, or aerial photograph by means of a system of coordinates.
3. any network resembling this.
4. a system of electrical distribution serving a large area, esp. by means of high-tension wires:
   a power grid.
5. Also, gridiron. a municipal road plan in which all or most roads and streets cross at right angles.
6. Sport gridiron (def. 1).

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

grid  (grid), n. 

1. Electricity a grating of crossed bars;
   gridiron.
2. [Elect.]
   • Electricity a metallic framework employed in a storage cell or battery for conducting the electric current and supporting the active material.
   • Electricity a system of electrical distribution serving a large area, esp. by means of high-tension lines.
3. Electronics an electrode in a vacuum tube, usually consisting of parallel wires, a coil of wire, or a screen, for controlling the flow of electrons between the other electrodes.
4. Surveying a basic system of reference lines for a region, consisting of straight lines intersecting at right angles.
5. Architecture a network of horizontal and perpendicular lines, uniformly spaced, for locating points on a map, chart, or aerial photograph by means of a system of coordinates.
6. Architecture a rectangular system of coordinates used in locating the principal elements of a plan.
7. grillage.
8. Sport [Football.] gridiron (def. 1).

• short for gridiron 1830–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

grid / ɡrɪd/ noun

1. See gridiron
2. a network of horizontal and vertical lines superimposed over a map, building plan, etc, for locating points
3. a grating consisting of parallel bars
4. the grid ⇒ the national network of transmission lines, pipes, etc, by which electricity, gas, or water is distributed
5. 
   short for national grid
6. Also called: control grid an electrode situated between the cathode and anode of a valve usually consisting of a cylindrical mesh of wires, that controls the flow of electrons between cathode and anode
   See also screen grid
7. See starting grid
8. a plate in an accumulator that carries the active substance
9. any interconnecting system of links: the bus service formed a grid across the country
10. a Northern English dialect word for face

Etymology: 19th Century: back formation from gridiron