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Definition of "gross" []

  • Exclusive of deductions; total: gross profits. See Synonyms at whole. (adjective)
  • Unmitigated in any way; utter: gross incompetence. (adjective)
  • Glaringly obvious: gross injustice. See Synonyms at flagrant. (adjective)
  • 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). (adjective)
  • Offensive; disgusting. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "gross" in a sentence
  • "In addition, from time to time on this call we refer to the term gross sales."
  • "Instead of measuring social health by the standard economic yardstick, gross domestic product, Bhutan tracks what it calls gross national happiness, which is defined as sustainable development, cultural preservation, environmental well-being and good governance."
  • "Human Rights Watch HRW says African Union mediators in Ivory Coast should work to end what it calls "gross violations of human rights" by security forces loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo, as violence continues to escalate in the country's commercial capital and troubled western region."