/ grəʊs; NAmE groʊs/ adjective , adverb , verb , noun
■ adjective ( gross·er , gross·est )
1.
[ only before noun ] being the total amount of sth 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
SYN disgusting :
'He ate it with mustard.' 'Oh, gross!'
➡ note at disgusting
4.
very rude
SYN crude :
gross behaviour
5.
very fat and ugly :
She's not just fat, she's positively gross!
► gross·ness noun [ U ]
■ adverb
in total, before anything is taken away :
She earns £25 000 a year gross.
—compare net
■ verb
[ vn ] to earn a particular amount of money before tax has been taken off it :
It is one of the biggest grossing movies of all time.
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- gross sb out
■ noun
1.
( pl. gross ) a group of 144 things :
two gross of apples
to sell sth by the gross
2.
( pl. grosses ) ( especially US ) a total amount of money earned by sth, especially a film / movie, before any costs are taken away
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the sense thick, massive, bulky ): from Old French gros , grosse large, from late Latin grossus .