Grinch
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A grouch or killjoy. US
"Here's what they would risk: appearing responsible for higher taxes next year after Obama offered them a deal to extend the Bush-era rates, coming off as grinches for failing to extend unemployment insurance during the holiday season, and the possibility that next year Obama and Democrats will actually hold more leverage in this debate."
- 2 A person who is aggressively intent on ruining the Christmas holidays for others. derogatory, informal
- 1 To act like a grinch; to be a killjoy towards someone. US
Example
More examples"Only a total grinch could object to kids having fun, even if they are making a bit of noise."
Etymology
Named after the main character in a children's book by Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957). Coined as early as 1953, the term was initially used for a fictitious bird named the "Beagle-Beaked-Bald-Headed Grinch" in Scrambled Eggs Super!; it became associated with the character in a poem published in the May 1955 issue of Redbook, "The Hoobub and the Grinch". Likely a corruption of grouch.
Related phrases
More for "grinch"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.