gravy

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A sauce made from the juices that come out of meat during cooking, often thickened and served with food.

   Grammar: Uncountable; say 'some gravy' or 'a lot of gravy', not 'a gravy'.

   Patterns

   • gravy
   • some gravy
   • pour gravy over something

   She poured hot gravy over the roast beef.

   The gravy was thick and full of flavor.

   Would you like some more gravy on your potatoes?

2. 2noununcountableinformal

   An unexpected extra benefit or easy profit, especially money that comes without much effort.

   Grammar: Informal and uncountable; often used in phrases like 'it's all gravy'.

   Patterns

   • be gravy
   • all gravy

   The bonus was just gravy on top of a good salary.

   After we paid the bills, anything left over was gravy.

   He didn't need the extra work; it was pure gravy.

Word forms

Common combinations

gravy boat

She served the sauce in a silver gravy boat.

gravy train

Critics say the project has become a gravy train for consultants.

thicken the gravy

You can thicken the gravy with a little flour.

biscuits and gravy

Biscuits and gravy is a popular breakfast in the southern US.

Synonyms and how they differ

sauce

Sauce is a general word for any liquid served with food; gravy is specifically made from meat juices.

juice

Juice usually means liquid from fruit or vegetables, while gravy is a cooked, seasoned sauce.

Commonly confused: gravy or grave?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “gravy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words