- 1[only before noun] being the total amount of something before anything is taken away gross weight (= including the container or wrapping) gross income/wage (= before taxes, etc. are taken away) Investments showed a gross profit of 26%. compare net
- 2[only before noun] (formal or law) (of a crime, etc.) very obvious and unacceptable gross indecency/negligence/misconduct a gross violation of human rights
- 3(informal) very unpleasant synonym disgusting ‘He ate it with mustard.’ ‘Oh, gross!’ Synonymsdisgustingfoul revolting repulsive offensive grossThese words all describe something, especially a smell, taste or habit, that is extremely unpleasant and often makes you feel slightly ill.disgusting extremely unpleasant and making you feel slightly ill:What a disgusting smell!foul dirty, and tasting or smelling bad:She could smell his foul breath.revolting extremely unpleasant and making you feel slightly ill:The stew looked revolting.disgusting or revolting?Both of these words are used to describe things that smell and taste unpleasant, unpleasant personal habits and people who have them. There is no real difference in meaning, but disgusting is more frequent, especially in spoken English.repulsive (rather formal) extremely unpleasant in a way that offends you or makes you feel slightly ill. Repulsive usually describes people, their behaviour or habits, which you may find offensive for physical or moral reasons.offensive (formal) (especially of smells) extremely unpleasant.gross (informal) (of a smell, taste or personal habit) extremely unpleasant.Patterns disgusting/repulsive/offensive to somebody to find somebody/something disgusting/revolting/repulsive/offensive to smell/taste disgusting/foul/gross a(n) disgusting/foul/revolting/offensive/gross smell a disgusting/revolting/gross habit disgusting/offensive/gross behaviour a disgusting/revolting/repulsive man/woman/person
- 4very rude synonym crude gross behaviour
- 5very fat and ugly She's not just fat, she's positively gross! See related entries: Attractiveness Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘thick, massive, bulky’): from Old French gros, grosse ‘large’, from late Latin grossus.Extra examples Investments showed a gross profit of 26%. The country’s gross national product increased by 4.2% per year. The family have three children and a gross income of £50 000.
gross
adjectiveBrE BrE//ɡrəʊs//; NAmE NAmE//ɡroʊs//
(grosser, grossest) AttractivenessCheck pronunciation: gross
