Word
groove
US/ˈɡɹuv/
UK/ɡɹˈuːv/
Definitions
01a physical cut
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a long, narrow cut or line in a hard surface like wood or metal.
n. a long, narrow channel or depression cut into a hard material, often to guide a moving part.
“The sliding door moves along a small groove in the floor.”
“The carpenter carefully carved a groove into the side of the cabinet to allow the back panel to slide into place securely.”
02a routine
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Informal
n. a habit or a way of doing things that you have become used to.
n. a settled or fixed routine of life or action.
“After a few days back at work, I finally got back into my groove.”
“It took the team several weeks to find their groove, but once they established a workflow, productivity increased significantly.”
03musical rhythm
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Music Informal
n. a strong, enjoyable rhythm in music that makes you want to dance.
n. a pronounced, infectious rhythm in music, particularly in jazz, funk, or soul.
“The drummer started a funky groove that the whole band followed.”
“The bassist and drummer locked into a tight groove, providing a solid foundation for the soloist to explore more complex melodies.”
04to enjoy music
B2 · Upper Intermediate Music Informal
v. to dance to or enjoy music with a good rhythm.
v. to dance to or enjoy rhythmic music in a relaxed and focused manner.
“Everyone was grooving to the music at the party last night.”
“The audience spent the entire evening grooving to the classic soul records, creating an atmosphere of shared nostalgia and joy.”
Real-World Examples
“Eventually it would wear down your extremely hard dental tissue to form these grooves,” he said.” “Their mashup of the Colombian star’s Hips Don’t Lie with the traditional folk song called Moruda has got everyone grooving (42m views and counting).” Etymology
From Middle English grov, grove, groof, grofe (“cave; pit; mining shaft”), probably from Old Norse gróf (“pit”) or from Middle Dutch groeve (“furrow, ditch”), both from Proto-West Germanic grōbu, from Proto-Germanic grōbō (“groove, furrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to dig, scrape, bury”). Cognate with Cimbrian gruuba (“gorge, ravine”), Dutch groef, groeve (“groove; pit, grave”), German Grube (“ditch, pit”), Luxembourgish Grouf (“pit, mine”), Mòcheno gruab (“mine”), Icelandic gróf (“pit, hollow”), Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐍉𐌱𐌰 (grōba, “foxhole”), Serbo-Croatian grèbati (“scratch, dig”). Related to Old English grafan (“to dig”). More at grave.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Related words
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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