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adj. gross·er, gross·est 1. b. Unmitigated in any way; utter: gross incompetence. 2. So obvious or conspicuous as to cause or heighten offense: gross injustice. See Synonyms at flagrant. 3. a. Brutishly coarse, as in behavior; crude: "It is futile to expect a hungry and squalid population to be anything but violent and gross" (Thomas H. Huxley). b. Disgusting or offensive: Don't you think slugs are gross? He told a gross joke. 4. Overweight; corpulent: "Sally is fat. She is gross. She must weigh twelve stone and more" (Margaret Drabble). 5. a. On a large scale; not fine or detailed: gross anatomical similarities; gross motor skills. b. Broad; general: the gross necessities of life. n. 1. pl. gross·es The entire body or amount, as of income, before necessary deductions have been made. 2. pl. gross Abbr. gr. or gro. A group of 144 items; 12 dozen. tr.v. grossed, gross·ing, gross·es Phrasal Verb: To earn as a total income or profit before deductions: The store grossed $10,000 last month. gross out Slang To fill with disgust; nauseate: "The trick in making a family film ... is finding ways to interest grown-ups without boring, confusing, or grossing out the younger set" (David Sterritt). [Middle English, large, from Old French gros, from Late Latin grossus, thick. N., sense 2, Middle English grosse, from Old French grosse (douzain), large (dozen), feminine of gros.] grosser n. grossly adv. grossness n. |
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