gay🔊

Homosexual.

(of a person) Possessing sexual and/or romantic attraction towards people one perceives to be the same sex or gender as oneself.

Describing a homosexual man.

(of an animal, by extension) Tending to partner or mate with other individuals of the same sex.

(of a romantic or sexual act or relationship) Between two or more persons perceived to be of the same sex or gender as each other.

(colloquial) Not heterosexual, or not cisgender: homosexual, bisexual, asexual, transgender, etc.

(of an institution or group) Intended for gay people, especially gay men.

(slang) Homosexually in love with someone.

(slang, humorous) Infatuated with something, aligning with homosexual stereotypes.

(loosely, of appearance or behavior) Being in accordance with stereotypes of gay people, especially gay men.

(loosely, of a person, especially a man) Exhibiting appearance or behavior that accords with stereotypes of gay people, especially gay men.

(slang, derogatory) Effeminate or flamboyant in behavior.

(slang, derogatory) Used to express dislike: lame, uncool, stupid, burdensome, contemptible, generally bad.

(dated) Happy, joyful, and lively.

(dated) Quick, fast.

(dated) Festive, bright, or colorful.

(obsolete) Sexually promiscuous (of any gender), (sometimes particularly) engaged in prostitution.

(of a dog's tail) Upright or curved over the back.

(Scotland, Northern England, possibly obsolete) Considerable, great, large in number, size, or degree.

A homosexual, especially a male homosexual.

(informal, often derogatory or ironic) Gayness: the quality of being gay.

(dialectal, obsolete) Something which is bright or colorful, such as a picture or a flower.

(obsolete) An ornament, a knick-knack.

(dated, uncommon) To make happy or cheerful.

(uncommon) To cause (something, e.g. AIDS) to be associated with homosexual people.

(Scotland, Northern England) Considerably, very.

The letter —, which stands for the sound /ɡ/, in Pitman shorthand.