ENGLISH
REFERENCE

grape

n. · adj. · v.
US //ˈɡɹeɪp// UK //ɡɹˈeɪp// grape
  1. 1 the fruit (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a small, round, green or purple fruit that grows in bunches and is used to make wine.

    a small, succulent, smooth-skinned berry growing in clusters on vines of the genus Vitis.

    Example

    He bought a large bunch of red grapes to serve with the cheese.

    Example

    The vineyard produces several varieties of grapes, each selected for its specific sugar content and suitability for fermentation into dry white wine.
  2. 2 a colour (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a dark purple or reddish-purple colour.

    a dark purplish-red hue resembling the skin of certain grape varieties.

    Example

    The walls of the dining room were painted a deep grape.

    Example

    The designer opted for a rich grape velvet for the upholstery to provide a sophisticated contrast against the pale oak flooring.
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  1. 3 flavoured or coloured (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    having the taste or the dark purple colour of grapes.

    containing grapes as an ingredient, or possessing a flavour or colour characteristic of the fruit.

    Example

    The children always choose the grape soda over the orange one.

    Example

    The confectioner used natural extracts to achieve an authentic grape flavour in the hard candies without relying on synthetic additives.
    • purple coloured
  2. 4 to be jealous (v.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal

    to feel jealous or envious of someone else.

    to experience or express envy toward another person's success or possessions; derived from the 'sour grapes' idiom.

    Example

    Don't grape just because she got a promotion and you didn't.

    Example

    The online community began to grape when the influencer revealed her luxury apartment, accusing her of being out of touch with her audience.

    Teacher's tip

    This specific slang usage is particularly common in Hong Kong English and digital spaces influenced by it; it is rarely understood by speakers of other dialects.
Origin

From Middle English grape, from Old French grape, grappe, crape (“cluster of fruit or flowers, bunch of grapes”), from graper, craper (“to pick grapes”, literally “to hook”), of Germanic origin, from Frankish krappō (“hook”), from Proto-Indo-European greb- (“hook”), gremb- (“crooked, uneven”), from ger- (“to turn, bend, twist”). Displaced native Old English wīnberġe (“grape”, literally “wine-berry”). Cognate with Middle Dutch krappe (“hook”), Old High German krapfo (“hook”) (whence German Krapfen (“Berliner doughnut”). Doublet of grappa. More at cramp.

Word family

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