Pronunciations (2)
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/ˈdʒɪndʒə/
Pronunciation notes
- UK
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/ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/
Pronunciation notes
- US
Noun
The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
The plant that produces this rhizome.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
Other species belonging to the same family, Zingiberaceae, especially those of the genus Zingiber
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A reddish-brown color.
Usage- Countable
- Uncountable
A person with reddish hair; a redhead.
Usage- Colloquial
- Countable
- Derogatory
- often
Vitality, vigour, liveliness (of character).
Usage- Colloquial
- Uncountable
- Examples
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More examples (1)
The position in the country and in this House might be well expressed by a reference to the recent activities of the ginger party in Great Britain — the party that demanded that more ginger be put into the conduct of the war.
He had, however, "put some more ginger in two nights ago. Things move with exasperating slowness in this country.”
The party managers demanded more “ginger.”
Ginger ale, or can or bottle of such (especially if dry).
Usage- Colloquial
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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Can you buy dry ginger in Croatia? If not what is an alternative?
Any fizzy soft drink, or can or bottle of such; pop; soda.
Usage- Scotland
- Colloquial
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Examples
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Here’s, um, not toast but bread, anyway. And a can of ginger.
A lot of people will tell you ‘ginger’ tastes best in glass, and there is a science behind that,” says the company’s commercial director.
More examples (1)
Maybe I was naive in thinking that baking with fizzy juice (soda, ginger, pop, whatever your regional name for the stuff is!) would be straightforward.
Adjective
Of a reddish-brown color.
Usage- of hair or fur
- Examples
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More examples (1)
My eyes track upwards past the shoes to a pair of skinny legs, skinnier than mine, then to a tight black mini. Above that is a crisp white shirt. And crowning the whole thing is a mop of the gingerest hair I’ve ever seen in my life.
And her hair’s brilliant red. It’s even gingerer than ours.
But as well as being a tough rugby player, Jammer [i.e., James Graham] also has the gingerest hair and palest skin in rugby (and possibly the world).
Having hair or fur of this color.
- Examples
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a ginger tomcat
More examples (2)
A chorus of ‘Aaah’s rose as they would in an episode of The Royle Family, while the gingerest boy in school swung his legs on the worktop and pretended he was Jamaican to be more like his mate sitting next to him, who wasn’t Jamaican either, but had parents who were.
But now evolution has stepped in, the reds are starting to mutate into bright ginger versions of themselves – and they’re here to stay. Leading squirrel expert Tony Handeigh, 48, is excited about the new breed of squirrel and thinks we could see woodland warfare in the future. He says: “I’ve seen one close up and it’s more ginger than Mick Hucknall’s pubes. But when it’s angry it gets even more gingerer.”
He had everything. The Catweazle beard, the headband, the long flowing locks and he’s got to be the gingerest footballer ever (sorry Scholesy).
More examples (2)
His frizzy ginger hair is all slicked down straight, his sideburns are trimmed, and he’s wearing a suit. […] That is the rudest thing that anyone has ever said to me! Coming from my own father means that it’s twenty billion times worse. ‘Well, you’re . . . you’re . . . you’re the gingerest person in the world!’ I don’t know if that hurt or not.
The walls of Jupiter’s study were lined with bookshelves and framed photographs, mostly of strange landscapes and people. Jupiter himself only popped up in a few of them – younger, gingerer, skinnier, less beardy.
Verb
To add ginger to.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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They gingered the biscotti, black and whited the cookies and oated the meals.
The first breather of the day came when Naomi brought some gingered lemonade out to the barn.
To enliven, to spice (up).
Usage- idiomatic
- Transitive
- Examples
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More examples (3)
The accident was an excuse merely to replace an old-fashioned regular with old-fashioned notions by an active, fire-eating young general who would ginger things up.
Before an action began, he liked to make bold predictions as to its outcome; this was part of his way of gingering people up, of creating an aura of victory to come.
Regarding this human angle, DeMille wrote, "I am sometimes accused of gingering up the Bible with large and lavish infusions of sex and violence. I can only wonder if my accusers have ever read certain parts of the Bible."
To apply ginger to the anus of a horse to encourage it to carry its tail high and move in a lively fashion.
Usage- Transitive
- Examples
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If he had been gingered, he would have gone well. After I bought him, I gingered him.
Gingering is decided cruelty.
More examples (1)
There he is, moving in his best form, with the full knowledge that that long whip in his rear will once more be round his flanks, as it has often been before, if he fails to wake up when he comes out for a show—well gingered, too, we should say, and all life and action.
To inspire (someone); to give a little boost to.
Usage- Nigeria
- Transitive
- Examples
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More examples (2)
These steps may not be immediately popular, but the society may have to bear with them until they succeed in gingering renewed interest and pride in the language so chosen.
In conclusion, intensive campaigns should be done in relation to gingering the nomads' interest in education, improve their interaction with neighbours and encourage them to start considering a more sedentary pastoral life.
I attended their concert first, so that was what gingered me to continue this school.
Adjective
Very careful or cautious; also, delicate, sensitive.
Usage- Canada
- UK usage
- US usage
- Regional
- Related words
- Examples
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He’s going to get an interview about ten o’clock, making the old gentleman predict war, and we’ll get out the gingerest kind of a special on the strength of it!
More examples (2)
Wherefore, although for my own car I want the “gingerest” possible engine, I realise that it has shortcomings for the general market and I would commend to designers the ideal of an engine that shall be as “woolly” as possible, so long as its artificially restricted dimensions shall not cause its owner to find himself unable to tackle respectable gradients.
“Coney Island” is by far the best picture the Hip has had. That says very little for a house that has held the worst, but this F. B. O. [Film Booking Offices] will do business this week for the Hip because it more than makes good under one of the gingerest of names. And a name that should draw by itself.
They, the Rabbis, for better or for worse, were very ginger with this question.
More examples (5)
After a very ginger landing, everyone aboard was able to see up close how lucky they had been to reach base.
Moving very slowly, taking extremely ginger steps, the woman felt beads of sweat dripping down from her body.
My face hurt like a son of a bitch every time I placed even the gingerest of fingertips on it, but from what I could see from my reflection in the broad blade of my letter opener, it still hadn’t swollen.
To walk, each crutch he kinda hopped forward a little and used his torso to drag his legs after, using them as the gingerest element of a tripod.
Silence settles once more between us all, filled only by the gingerest of clinks of forks reluctantly hovering over flesh.
Adverb
In a very careful or cautious manner; also, delicately, sensitively.
- Synonyms
Verb
To move gingerly, in a very careful and cautious manner.
- Examples
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Spring training began on Christmas Day, when my cousin and I gingered onto the lot behind the fire station to try out our new spikes.
She gingered her way into the river and timidly splashed into its waters.
More examples (2)
I gingered my hands into my grandfather’s [boxing] gloves.
Takin’ good care not to topple into the depths o’ this muddy ol’ ooze, I gingered my way across the muddy path along the river’s edge until I arrived at that big hat.
Noun
A homosexual.
Usage- Cockney
- UK usage
- Slang
Adjective
Homosexual.
Usage- Cockney
- UK usage
- not-comparable
- Slang
Adjective
(used especially of hair or fur) having a bright orange-brown color
- Synonyms
- Examples
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a man with gingery hair and bright blue eyes
a ginger kitten
Noun
perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems
- Broader terms
dried ground gingerroot
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
pungent rhizome of the common ginger plant; used fresh as a seasoning especially in Asian cookery
- Synonyms
liveliness and energy
- Broader terms
- Examples
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this tonic is guaranteed to give you more pep
Verb
add ginger to in order to add flavor
- Examples
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ginger the soup