English Reference

Word

group

US/ˈɡɹup/

UK/ɡɹˈuːp/

Definitions

01general collection

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

n. a number of people or things that are together in the same place or share something in common.

n. a collection of individuals or objects located, grouped, or classified together.

“A small group of students stood outside the classroom waiting for the teacher.”

“The researchers divided the participants into a control group and an experimental group to test the efficacy of the new medication.”

Antonyms

02music band

A2 · Elementary Countable noun Music

n. a small number of people who play music or sing together.

n. a musical ensemble, typically in popular music genres, consisting of several performers.

“Her favourite pop group is going on a world tour next summer.”

“The indie group gained a massive following after their lead single went viral on several streaming platforms.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

03business organization

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Business

n. a large company that owns several smaller companies.

n. a commercial organization comprising several companies or subsidiaries under a single parent entity.

“The hotel group owns over two hundred properties across Europe.”

“Following the merger, the banking group restructured its international divisions to improve operational efficiency and reduce overhead costs.”

04chemistry column

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Science Technical

n. a vertical column of elements in the periodic table.

n. a vertical column in the periodic table of chemical elements, where elements share similar electronic configurations.

“Elements in the same group often react in similar ways.”

“The noble gases are located in group eighteen of the periodic table and are characterised by their lack of chemical reactivity.”

Synonyms

Antonyms

05mathematical set

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Mathematics Technical

n. a set of numbers or objects that follow specific rules when you combine them.

n. an algebraic structure consisting of a set equipped with an associative binary operation, an identity element, and inverse elements.

“In math class, we learned how to identify a symmetry group.”

“The professor demonstrated that the set of integers under addition forms an abelian group because it satisfies the four fundamental axioms.”

06to categorize

B1 · Intermediate

v. to put people or things into sets based on how they are similar.

v. to arrange or classify objects or individuals into categories based on shared attributes.

“The teacher asked us to group the words by their endings.”

“The software allows users to group files by date, size, or file type for easier navigation and management.”

Antonyms

07to gather

B1 · Intermediate

v. to come together in one place.

v. to assemble or gather in a specific location to form a cluster or unit.

“The fans started to group around the stadium entrance hours before the game.”

“As the storm approached, the hikers began to group together under the rocky overhang for protection from the wind.”

Antonyms

Collocations

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “group” in context.

01. active group 02. comprise group 03. defined group 04. dominant group 05. ethnic group 06. group comprise 07. group consist 08. group differ 09. group exhibit 10. group find 11. group membership 12. group receive pressure

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *grewbʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *kruppazder. Frankish *kruppbor. Vulgar Latin *cruppus Italian gruppobor. French groupebor. ▲ Italian gruppobor. English group From French groupe (“cluster, group”), from Italian gruppo, groppo (“a knot, heap, group, bag (of money)”). In the "group theory" sense, calqued from French groupe, a term coined by the young French mathematician Évariste Galois in 1830. Cognate with German Kropf (“crop, craw, bunch”); Old English cropp, croppa (“cluster, bunch, sprout, flower, berry, ear of corn, crop”) (whence English crop); Dutch krop (“craw”), Icelandic kroppr (“hump, bunch”). Doublet of crop and croup.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

Related words

Domains

AstronomyBusinessChemistryComputingGeologyMilitaryMusicSociologySports

This entry

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.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL 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: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
Frequency
Very common
Level
A1 · BeginnerOxford
Updated

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