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Definition of gay adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

gay

adjective
 
/ɡeɪ/
 
/ɡeɪ/
Idioms
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  1. (of people, especially men) sexually or romantically attracted to people of the same sex synonym homosexual
    • gay men/women
    • a gay actor/politician/activist
    • She's gay.
    opposite straightTopics People in societyb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • look
    • sound
    adverb
    • openly
    phrases
    • gay and lesbian
    See full entry
  2. [only before noun] connected with people who are gay
    • a gay club/bar
    • the lesbian and gay community
    • the gay and lesbian section in the bookstore
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • look
    • sound
    adverb
    • openly
    phrases
    • gay and lesbian
    See full entry
  3. [not before noun] (slang, disapproving, offensive) (used especially by young people) an offensive way to describe something you find boring, stupid or not attractive
  4. (comparative gayer, superlative gayest)
    (old-fashioned) happy and full of fun
    • gay laughter
    • She felt lighthearted and gay.
  5. (old-fashioned) brightly coloured
    • The garden was gay with red geraniums.
  6. see also gaiety, gaily
    Word OriginMiddle English (in sense (4)): from Old French gai, of unknown origin.
Idioms
with gay abandon
  1. without thinking about the results or effects of a particular action
See gay in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee gay in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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