Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

grinch

/ɡɹɪnt͡ʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.87 in modern English

Syllables: grinch
IPA: /ɡɹɪnt͡ʃ/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A grouch or killjoy.

American usage

noun

A person who is aggressively intent on ruining the Christmas holidays for others.

Derogatory; Informal

verb

To act like a grinch; to be a killjoy towards someone.

American usage

Example Sentences

"Here's what they would risk: appearing responsible for higher taxes next year after Obama offered them a deal to extend the Bush-era rates, coming off as grinches for failing to extend unemployment insurance during the holiday season, and the possibility that next year Obama and Democrats will actually hold more leverage in this debate."

Etymology

Named after the main character in a children's book by Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957). Coined as early as 1953, the term was initially used for a fictitious bird named the "Beagle-Beaked-Bald-Headed Grinch" in Scrambled Eggs Super!; it became associated with the character in a poem published in the May 1955 issue of Redbook, "The Hoobub and the Grinch". Likely a corruption of grouch.

Usage

Inflected Forms

grinches (plural) grinches (present, singular) grinching (participle, present) grinched (participle, past) grinched (past)

Derived Forms

grinchily grinchy

Phrases

grinch foot grinch paw grinch toe

Frequently Paired Words

scrooge

Synonyms

grouch killjoy spoilsport addle-plot buzzkill cold fish curmudgeon dampener downer fun sponge grinch joy killer

Rhymes With

inch lynch pinch finch clinch winch flinch cinch synch hinch kinch minch

Questions

How do you pronounce grinch?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɡɹɪnt͡ʃ/.
What does grinch mean?: A grouch or killjoy.
Where does grinch come from?: Named after the main character in a children's book by Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957). Coined as early as 1953, the term was initially used for a fictitious bird named the "Beagle-Beaked-Bald-Headed Grinch" in Scrambled Eggs Super!; it became associated with the character in a poem published in the May 1955 issue of Redbook, "The Hoobub and the Grinch". Likely a corruption of grouch.

How to pronounce grinch

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “grinch”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɡɹɪnt͡ʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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