grime
Americannoun
-
dirt, soot, or other filthy matter, especially adhering to or embedded in a surface.
-
a style of music influenced by rap, ragga, etc., and characterized by lyrics and imagery that reference the dark side of urban life.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
dirt, soot, or filth, esp when thickly accumulated or ingrained
-
a genre of music originating in the East End of London and combining elements of garage, hip-hop, rap, and jungle
verb
Other Word Forms
- griminess noun
- grimy adjective
- ungrimed adjective
Etymology
Origin of grime
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English grim; apparently special use of Old English grīma “mask,” to denote layer of dust; compare dialectal Dutch grijm
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The way I looked, I doubted anyone would be very helpful, so I washed as much dirt and grime and troll smell off me as I could.
From Literature
She and other Alexandrians agree the tramway needs work: inside the hand-calligraphied blue exterior, grime covers every surface.
From Barron's
Then I sat in my room and felt the liquid slowly drying, getting tighter and tighter, joining with my skin so that my entire face was being transformed into a grime repellent.
From Literature
I wore a threadbare coat that bore grease stains on the arms, and my cheeks were smudged brown with dirt and grime.
From Literature
He was freezing cold and caked in grime and sure of absolutely nothing except that he had just made a series of horrible mistakes, each worse than the last.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
