2 N‑PLURAL If you say that someone has the giggles , you mean they cannot stop giggling. □ I was so nervous I got the giggles. □ She had a fit of the giggles.
3 N‑SING If you say that something is a giggle , you mean it is fun or is amusing. [mainly BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ I might buy one for a friend's birthday as a giggle.
gig|gly /g I gəli/ ADJ Someone who is giggly keeps laughing in a childlike way, because they are amused, nervous, or drunk. □ Ray was very giggly and joking all the time. □ …giggly girls.
gigo|lo /dʒ I gəloʊ/ (gigolos ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A gigolo is a man who is paid to be the lover of a rich and usually older woman. [DISAPPROVAL ]
gild /g I ld/ (gilds , gilding , gilded ) VERB If you gild a surface, you cover it in a thin layer of gold or gold paint. □ [V n] Carve the names and gild them. □ [V -ed] …gilded statues.
gild|ing /g I ld I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Gilding is a layer of gold or gold paint that is put on something.
gill /g I l/ (gills ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Gills are the organs on the sides of fish and other water creatures through which they breathe.
gilt /g I lt/ (gilts )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A gilt object is covered with a thin layer of gold or gold paint. □ …marble columns and gilt spires.
2 N‑COUNT Gilts are gilt-edged stocks or securities. [BRIT , BUSINESS ]
gi lt-e dged ADJ [ADJ n] Gilt-edged stocks or securities are issued by the government for people to invest in for a fixed period of time at a fixed rate of interest. [BRIT , BUSINESS ]
gim|let /g I ml I t/ ADJ [ADJ n] If you say that someone has gimlet eyes, you mean that they look at people or things very carefully, and seem to notice every detail. [WRITTEN ] □ 'Have you read the whole book?' she asks, gimlet-eyed.
gim|me /g I mi/ Gimme is sometimes used in written English to represent the words 'give me' when they are pronounced informally. □ 'Gimme a break, kid! You know how much those things cost?'
gim|mick /g I m I k/ (gimmicks ) N‑COUNT A gimmick is an unusual and unnecessary feature or action whose purpose is to attract attention or publicity. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ It is just a public relations gimmick. □ The exhibition is informative, up to date, and mercifully free of gimmicks.
gim|mick|ry /g I m I kri/ N‑UNCOUNT If you describe features or actions as gimmickry , you mean they are not necessary or useful, and their only purpose is to attract attention or publicity. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Privatisation and gimmickry are not the answer to improving Britain's rail service.
gim|micky /g I m I ki/ ADJ If you describe something as gimmicky , you think it has features which are not necessary or useful, and whose only purpose is to attract attention or publicity. [INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ The campaign was gimmicky, but it had a serious side to it.
gin /dʒ I n/ (gins ) N‑VAR Gin is a strong colourless alcoholic drink made from grain and juniper berries. ● N‑COUNT A gin is a glass of gin. □ …another gin and tonic.
gin|ger /dʒ I ndʒə r /
1 N‑UNCOUNT Ginger is the root of a plant that is used to flavour food. It has a sweet spicy flavour and is often sold in powdered form.
2 COLOUR Ginger is used to describe things that are orangey-brown in colour. □ She was a mature lady with dyed ginger hair.
gi n|ger a le (ginger ales ) N‑VAR Ginger ale is a fizzy non-alcoholic drink flavoured with ginger, which is often mixed with an alcoholic drink. □ I live mostly on coffee and ginger ale. ● N‑COUNT A glass of ginger ale can be referred to as a ginger ale .
gi n|ger bee r (ginger beers ) N‑VAR Ginger beer is a fizzy drink that is made from syrup and ginger and is sometimes slightly alcoholic. ● N‑COUNT A glass of ginger beer can be referred to as a ginger beer .
ginger|bread /dʒ I ndʒə r bred/ N‑UNCOUNT Gingerbread is a sweet biscuit or cookie that is flavoured with ginger. It is often made in the shape of a man or an animal.
gi n|ger group (ginger groups ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A ginger group is a group of people who have similar ideas and who work together, especially within a larger organization, to try to persuade others to accept their ideas. [BRIT ] □ I set up a ginger group on the environment.
gin|ger|ly /dʒ I ndʒə r li/ ADV [ADV with v] If you do something gingerly , you do it in a careful manner, usually because you expect it to be dangerous, unpleasant, or painful. [WRITTEN ] □ I drove gingerly past the security check points.
gin|gery /dʒ I ndʒəri/ ADJ Something, especially hair, that is gingery is slightly ginger in colour.
ging|ham /g I ŋəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Gingham is cotton cloth which has a woven pattern of small squares, usually in white and one other colour. □ …a gingham apron. □ …gingham check shorts.
gin|seng /dʒ I nseŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Ginseng is the root of a plant found in China, Korea, and America which some people believe is good for your health.
gip|sy /dʒ I psi/ → see gypsy
gi|raffe /dʒ I rɑː f, -ræ f/ (giraffes ) N‑COUNT A giraffe is a large African animal with a very long neck, long legs, and dark patches on its body.
gird /gɜː r d/ (girds , girding , girded ) VERB If you gird yourself for a battle or contest, you prepare yourself for it. [LITERARY ] □ [V pron-refl + for ] With audiences in the U.S. falling for the first time in a generation, Hollywood is girding itself for recession.