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APG.American
Pronunciation Guide
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

grave

/ɡɹeɪv/

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What does grave mean?

noun

  1. An excavation in the earth as a place of burial.
  2. Any place of interment.
  3. Any place containing one or more corpses.
More meanings (18)

noun

  1. Death, destruction.
  2. Deceased people; the dead.
  3. A grave accent, the diacritic mark `.
  4. (historical) A count, prefect, or person holding office.
  5. (obsolete) A kilogram.

adjective

  1. Characterised by a dignified sense of seriousness.
  2. Low in pitch, tone etc.
  3. Serious, in a negative sense; important, formidable.
  4. (dated) Dull, produced in the middle or back of the mouth. (See Grave and acute on Wikipedia.Wikipedia )
  5. (obsolete) Influential, important; authoritative.

proper noun

  1. A surname.

verb

  1. (archaic) To dig.
  2. (archaic) To carve or cut, as letters or figures, on some hard substance; to engrave.
  3. (archaic) To carve out or give shape to, by cutting with a chisel; to sculpture.
  4. (archaic) To impress deeply (on the mind); to fix indelibly.
  5. (archaic) To entomb; to bury.
  6. (archaic) To write or delineate on hard substances, by means of incised lines; to practice engraving.
  7. (obsolete) To clean, as a vessel's bottom, of barnacles, grass, etc., and pay it over with pitch — so called because graves or greaves were formerly used for this purpose.
Wiktionary contributors Wiktionary contributors

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ɡɹeɪv/

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Mr. Gore was a grave man, and, though a young man, he indulged in no jokes, said no funny words, seldom smiled.
Frederick DouglassNarrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American SlaveProject Gutenberg ebook #23
Ivar had never learned to speak English and his Norwegian was quaint and grave, like the speech of the more old-fashioned people.
Willa CatherO Pioneers!Project Gutenberg ebook #24
More book examples (3)
“It is as well to have made this step,” said Roger Chillingworth to himself, looking after the minister, with a grave smile.
Nathaniel HawthorneThe Scarlet LetterProject Gutenberg ebook #33
During this time a scene, short, grave, and decisive, took place between the mysterious personage and the president of the Gun Club.
Jules VerneFrom the Earth to the moon; and, round the moonProject Gutenberg ebook #83
Lady, you are the cruel’st she alive If you will lead these graces to the grave, And leave the world no copy.
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100