What does "gravy" mean?
A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.; A dark savoury sauce prepared from stock and usually meat juices; brown gravy.
Gravy
/ˈɡɹeɪvi/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.; A dark savoury sauce prepared from stock and usually meat juices; brown gravy.
- Grammar: gravy is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: allemande, bonanza, bonus, bonus.
- Useful contrasts: cost, dryness, expense.
- Usage evidence: Would you like some more gravy?
How to use "gravy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "gravy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "gravy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "gravy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "gravy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "gravy" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allemande" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "gravy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.; A dark savoury sauce prepared from stock and usually meat juices; brown gravy. countable, uncountable, usually
"A roast dinner isn't complete without gravy."
- 2 a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money) wordnet
- 3 A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.; A pale sauce prepared from a roux with meat fat; a type of béchamel sauce. Southern-US, countable, uncountable, usually
"There are few foods more Southern than biscuits and gravy."
- 4 the seasoned but not thickened juices that drip from cooking meats; often a little water is added wordnet
- 5 Sauce used for pasta. uncountable, usually
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a sauce made by adding stock, flour, or other ingredients to the juice and fat that drips from cooking meats wordnet
- 7 Curry sauce. India, Singapore, uncountable, usually
"With this the hostess poured two or three spoonfuls of the gravy of the curry on to the rice opposite to each person."
- 8 Unearned gain; extra benefit. informal, uncountable, usually
"The first thousand tickets and the concessions cover the venue and the band. The rest is gravy."
Verb
- 1 To make gravy.
"I mean simply this — that the process of canning and preserving or of gravying and saucing frequently removes the most vitally essential acids and salts […]"
Example
"Would you like some more gravy?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "gravy"?
Common synonyms include: allemande, bonanza, bonus, bonus, bonus system, boom.
How do you use "gravy" in a sentence?
Would you like some more gravy?
How do you pronounce "gravy"?
Pronounced /ˈɡɹeɪvi/.
Etymology
From Middle English gravey, greavie, gravy; probably from greaves, graves (“the sediment of melted tallow”), or from Old French grave, a claimed misspelling of grané (“stew, spice”), from grain (“spice”). Sense of "pasta sauce" apparently seems to be from Italian dialect, especially Calabrian, differentiating tomato puree (salsa (“sauce”)) from cooked tomato sauce (sugo).