gross out

noun

Something which sickens, causes distress, or appalls by reason of being disgusting, gory, or repulsive.

Meanings

noungross out (plural gross outs)

plural gross outs

  1. CanadaUSinformalSomething which sickens, causes distress, or appalls by reason of being disgusting, gory, or repulsive.

    Notwithstanding that episode, this film is refreshingly low on scatological gags and other gross-out humor, preferring all-purpose bad jokes to bathroom ones.

    1993 May 21, Janet Maslin, “From 'Rambo' to Rodham, Smirking All the Way]" (film review of Hot Shots! Part Deux)”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 25 Sep 2020, retrieved 22 Apr 2014
    2 more examples

    For Marlon Wayans — who returns as writer, star and sparkplug of “A Haunted House 2,” another ramshackle assortment of sight gags, scares, laughs and gross-outs — there is no bottom.[…] Malcolm seeks help via the Internet but not before he has elaborately explicit “sex” with Abigail, easily among the most offensively tasteless gross-outs in a movie that delights in them.

    2014 April 19, Stephen Schaefer, “Wayans’ ‘Haunted’ sequel fails to scare up laughs”, in Boston Herald, archived from the original on 08 Oct 2020, retrieved 22 Apr 2014

    On the surface, the film is a globe-trotting gross-out caper in which Nobby, who's from a hellish version of the titular Lincolnshire town ("twinned with Chernobyl"), is reunited with his long-lost brother Sebastian (Mark Strong), who has become a spy for the British secret services.

    2016 February 23, Robbie Collin, “Grimsby review: ' Sacha Baron Cohen's vital, venomous action movie'”, in The Daily Telegraph (London)
verbgross out (third-person singular simple present grosses out, present participle grossing out, simple past and past participle grossed out)

present singular third person grosses out · participle present grossing out · participle past grossed out · past grossed out

  1. CanadaUSinformaltransitiveTo sicken or distress (someone) by being disgusting, gory, or lewd.

    The Stick of Truth is a game where you can choose to use a toilet and then, later, fling the result at your enemies to weaken them by grossing them out.

    2014 March 4, Chris Suellentrop, “Trey Parker and Matt Stone Make a ‘South Park’ Game”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2021, retrieved 22 Apr 2014
    1 more example

    Lisa likes him clean-shaven. "You know, when there's things crawling out of your beard or whenever you've got food left from lunch or dinner, I don't know, that just kind of grosses me out," she says.

    2013 August 22, Ann Oldenburg, “Beardless 'Duck Dynasty' brother reveals wild past”, in USA Today, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2021, retrieved 22 Apr 2014

Synonyms & antonyms

verbfill with distaste

verblose one's nerve

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Finnish kuvottaa
  • kuvottaato sicken by reason of being disgusting
French dégoûter, écœurer
  • dégoûterto sicken by reason of being disgusting
  • écœurerto sicken by reason of being disgusting
Polish brzydzić, obrzydzać
  • brzydzićto sicken by reason of being disgusting
  • obrzydzaćto sicken by reason of being disgusting
  • obrzydzićto sicken by reason of being disgusting
Cite this entry
APA

gross out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gross%20out

MLA

“gross out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gross%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gross out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gross%20out.

Source: gross out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.