Gruyère

American

[groo-yair, gri-, gry-yer] / gruˈyɛər, grɪ-, grüˈyɛr /

noun

a firm, pale-yellow cheese, made of whole milk and having small holes, produced chiefly in France and Switzerland.

Gruyère British

/ ˈɡruːjɛə, ɡryjɛr /

noun

a hard flat whole-milk cheese, pale yellow in colour and with holes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Gruyère

First recorded in 1795–1805; after Gruyère district in Switzerland where the cheese is made

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.

She had sliced and toasted the baguette, and pre-grated a small mountain of aged Gruyère.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I’m calling you out, George Gruyère!”

From Literature

“See, because his last name is Gruyère, which is a kind of cheese,” Owen ad-libbed.

From Literature

Natalie turned to look at him, and she watched as his friend George Gruyère clapped a hand over Owen’s mouth and whispered her an apology.

From Literature

“Dude. Your last name is Gruyère. That is literally a kind of cheese! It’s perfect.”

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023