# gravy

/ˈɡɹeɪvi/ (US) · /ɡɹˈeɪvi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/gravy
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. meat sauce

noun · CEFR B1

a warm, thick sauce made from the juices that come out of meat while it is cooking.

For teachers: a sauce made from the juices, fat, and sediment that remain in a pan after meat has been roasted or fried, typically thickened with flour.

- He poured a lot of hot gravy over his roast beef and mashed potatoes.
- The chef deglazed the roasting pan with red wine to incorporate the caramelised juices into a rich, savoury gravy.

### 2. extra benefit

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

extra money or a benefit that you get easily or unexpectedly.

For teachers: unearned or incidental gain; profit or benefits obtained beyond what is expected or required.

- The salary is good, and the yearly bonus is just gravy.
- Having already exceeded their quarterly sales targets, any additional commissions earned in December were considered pure gravy by the sales team.

### 3. curry sauce

noun · CEFR B2 · Dialect

the spicy liquid or sauce part of a curry dish.

For teachers: the liquid base or sauce component of a curry, particularly in South Asian culinary contexts.

- This chicken curry has a very rich and spicy gravy.
- The recipe requires the onions to be sautéed until golden brown to ensure the gravy has a deep, complex flavour profile.

### 4. to make sauce

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to make a sauce from meat juices.

For teachers: to prepare or produce gravy from meat drippings.

- She spent the afternoon roasting the turkey and gravying the juices.
- The kitchen staff were tasked with gravying the remaining drippings before the final course was served to the guests.

## Examples

- She poured hot gravy over the roast beef and mashed potatoes.
- The chef whisked a little flour into the pan drippings to make a smooth, savory gravy for the Sunday dinner.
- While the base salary was already generous, the performance bonuses were pure gravy, allowing the young consultant to pay off his student loans much faster than anticipated.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.