Meaning & use
group
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Meanings
nouncountable
A number of people or things that are together or connected in some way.
Grammar: Can be followed by a singular or plural verb: The group is/are ready.
Patterns
- a group of people
- in a group
- a group of something
A group of tourists gathered outside the museum.
She joined a study group for her math class.
The teacher divided the class into small groups.
nouncountable
A set of things or people classified together because they share a feature.
Grammar: Often used with 'age', 'income', 'ethnic', etc.: an age group.
Patterns
- age group
- income group
- a group of something
This age group is most likely to use social media.
The animals were sorted into groups by size.
People in the same income group often live in similar areas.
nouncountablemusic
A number of musicians who perform together.
Grammar: Often used with 'band' or 'pop': a pop group.
Patterns
- a pop group
- a rock group
- play in a group
The Beatles were a famous pop group from Liverpool.
She sings in a jazz group on weekends.
The group is on tour in Europe.
verbtransitive
To put people or things into a set based on a shared feature.
Grammar: Takes an object: group the items. Often followed by 'by' or 'according to'.
Patterns
- group something by something
- group something together
- group something according to something
Please group the books by author.
The teacher grouped the students according to their reading level.
We can group these flowers together because they need the same care.
verbintransitive
To form a set or cluster; to come together.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'together' or 'around'.
Patterns
- group together
- group around someone/something
The children grouped around the storyteller.
The birds grouped together for warmth.
Protesters grouped in the square.
Word forms
| plural | groups |
|---|---|
| third person singular | groups |
| past tense | grouped |
| past participle | grouped |
| -ing form | grouping |
Common combinations
- a group of
- A group of students waited for the bus.
- age group
- This age group prefers online shopping.
- group discussion
- We had a group discussion about the novel.
- group together
- The teacher grouped the desks together.
- interest group
- The interest group lobbied for new laws.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crowd
- A large, often disorganized group of people; 'group' is more neutral and can be small or organized.
- team
- A group that works together toward a goal; 'group' does not imply cooperation.
- category
- A class or division in a system; 'group' is more general and can be informal.
Opposites
Word family
- grouping noun
- A set of people or things placed together.
- grouped adjective
- Arranged in a group.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'group' correctly as a verb?
Choose one answer.
The verb 'group' means to put things into sets; 'groups' is the third-person singular form. Option 0 uses the base form with 'she', which is wrong; option 2 uses 'are group' instead of 'are grouping'; option 3 uses 'group' as an intransitive verb of motion, which is not standard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “group”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.