gross 1 of 3

adjective

ˈgrōs How to pronounce gross (audio)
Definition of grossnext
1
as in obscene
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society he was thrown out of class for making a gross gesture

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2
as in plump
having an excess of body fat a very gross cat trying to squeeze through a small opening in the fence

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3
as in crass
lacking in refinement or good taste she haughtily refused to mix with what she called "the gross masses who are unappreciative of fine art"

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4
as in blatant
very noticeable especially for being incorrect or bad a gross mistake that some proofreader should have caught

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5
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment the little boy insisted that worms are gross

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gross

2 of 3

noun

1
as in total

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2
as in revenue

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gross

3 of 3

verb

as in to net

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word gross different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of gross are coarse, obscene, ribald, and vulgar. While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness.

gross eating habits

When can coarse be used instead of gross?

The synonyms coarse and gross are sometimes interchangeable, but coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language.

found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

Where would obscene be a reasonable alternative to gross?

Although the words obscene and gross have much in common, obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.

obscene language not allowed on the air

When could ribald be used to replace gross?

The meanings of ribald and gross largely overlap; however, ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent.

entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

When is it sensible to use vulgar instead of gross?

While in some cases nearly identical to gross, vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding.

a loud vulgar belch

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gross
Adjective
James Fish, a senior research analyst at Piper Sandler covering digital infrastructure, told Fortune that a hit to gross margin only drags down profitability if the growth stops adding gross profit dollars. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 30 June 2026 One major carmaker earns $2,019 per truck/SUV in accessories, generating $350 million in annual gross profit—nearly a third of its vehicle profits. — Sarwant Singh, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Noun
While recounting the slow death of her relationship, Rodrigo doesn’t shy away from the gross, the embarrassing or the vulnerable. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026 That single-screen gross was good enough to lead all specialized films on IndieWire’s exclusive chart, via data from Comscore, in terms of per-screen-average. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 3 June 2026
Verb
Topline Movie theaters just had their lowest-grossing summer in three years, as this year’s total barely fell below last summer’s gross as moviegoing cooled in August, despite early analyst expectations that this summer could have been a return to box office glory. — Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 The grocer didn’t respond to a request for comment, but a retail property expert familiar with store leases estimated that Erewhon would need to gross more than $1 million per week to cover the Culver City rent disclosed in the recent lawsuit. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for gross
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gross
  1. obscene
  2. plump
  3. crass
  4. blatant
  5. disgusting
  6. total
  7. revenue
  8. net
Adjective
  • Counterculture Yippies would turn up at a 1970 Blood, Sweat & Tears show at Madison Square Garden, carrying obscene banners outside and dumping manure by the front gate.
    — Hillel Italie, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
  • Yippies would turn up at a 1970 Blood, Sweat & Tears show at Madison Square Garden, carrying obscene banners outside and dumping manure by the front gate.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 June 2026
Definition of obscene
Adjective
  • Advanced Night Ceramide Signature Anti-Aging Night Cream Think of this ceramide-rich formula as plump skin in a bottle.
    — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 4 July 2026
  • Instead of turning to cobbler this summer, put all of those juicy peaches and plump raspberries at the farmers’ market to good use with this stunning recipe.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
Definition of plump
Adjective
  • Like a more crass, animated Seinfeld, Rocko deals with the mundanities and absurdities of daily life.
    — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2026
  • With the games having kicked off, the sport has shown its ineffable power to supplant crass and capitalistic overreach.
    — Emily Olsen, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Definition of crass
Adjective
  • Commissioned by Mattel as a blatant weekly half-hour commercial for its popular toy line, the show pits He-Man and his heroic chums against the evil (but strangely inept) Skeletor in a battle for control of Castle Grayskull.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
  • However, the fun police in the NBA’s legal department would (correctly) view this is as blatant cap circumvention, and would not treat this as a laughing matter.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of blatant
Adjective
  • Noah Kahan is speaking out about a disgusting habit picked up by some music fans.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 29 June 2026
  • French broadcaster French Pierron was under fire for calling childbirth 'a disgusting moment.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026
Definition of disgusting
Noun
  • According to the city, the vouchers have a $55 value and they can be renewed five times for a total of six months in the program.
    — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • In total, the proposal calls for 572 condominiums and 949 apartments, with at least 262 units set aside as affordable housing.
    — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of total
Noun
  • During the pandemic, the company started supplying medical apparel to hospitals and schools, and the business took off, with revenue doubling in 2020, Beig said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Prosecutors say the aim of the plot was to permanently disrupt gas deliveries via the pipelines and prevent Russia from using the revenues from natural gas trading to finance its military operations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Definition of revenue
Verb
  • If the birds are determined to snack on your berries or veggies, Chastain suggests using bird netting to keep them away.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 5 July 2026
  • Ousmane Dembélé is also near the top of the scoring charts having netted four times, while Michael Olise has registered more assists (five) than any other player at the tournament so far.
    — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of net

Phrases Containing gross

Browse Nearby Words

groping
gross
grossed
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Cite this Entry

“Gross.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gross. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on gross

Nglish: Translation of gross for Spanish Speakers

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