I. gross 1 S3 /ɡrəʊs $ ɡroʊs/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: gros 'big, thick' , from Latin grossus ]
1 . TOTAL [only before noun]
a) a gross sum of money is the total amount before any tax or costs have been taken away ⇨ net :
a gross profit of $5 million
gross income/salary/pay etc
a family with gross earnings of just £75 per week
b) a gross weight is the total weight of something, including its wrapping
2 . VERY BAD [only before noun] clearly wrong and unacceptable
gross negligence/misconduct etc
soldiers accused of gross violations of human rights
The company described reports of environmental disaster as gross exaggeration.
gross indecency (=the crime of doing something that is sexually offensive)
3 . NASTY spoken very unpleasant to look at or think about SYN disgusting :
Ooh, gross! I hate spinach!
4 . FAT informal extremely fat and unattractive
—grossly adverb [+ adjective/adverb] :
Lambert was grossly overweight.
Medical records were found to be grossly inadequate.
—grossness noun [uncountable]
II. gross 2 BrE AmE adverb
earn £20,000/$30,000 etc gross to earn £20,000 etc before tax has been taken away ⇨ net :
a junior executive earning $50,000 gross
III. gross 3 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to gain an amount as a total profit, or earn it as a total amount, before tax has been taken away ⇨ net :
The movie has already grossed over $10 million.
gross somebody ↔ out phrasal verb
American English spoken to make someone wish they had not seen or been told about something because it is so unpleasant SYN disgust :
His dirty fingernails really gross me out.
—grossed out adjective
IV. gross 4 BrE AmE noun ( plural gross ) [countable]
a quantity of 144 things
gross of
two gross of candles