gi

1 of 6

abbreviation (1)

gill
1
: provided by an official U.S. military supply department
GI shoes
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of U.S. military personnel
3
: conforming to military regulations or customs
a GI haircut

GI

3 of 6

noun

plural GIs or GI's ˌjē-ˈīz How to pronounce GI (audio)
: a member or former member of the U.S. armed forces
especially : a man enlisted in the army

GI

4 of 6

adverb

: in a strictly regulation manner

GI

5 of 6

verb

transitive verb

: to clean (something) thoroughly in preparation for or as if for a military inspection
The barracks … were in fine order—they'd been GI'd the night before.New Republic

GI

6 of 6

abbreviation (2)

1
galvanized iron
2
gastrointestinal
3
general issue; government issue
4

Examples of gi in a Sentence

Verb in preparation for one of her mother-in-law's dreaded visits, she had GI'd the whole house
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Mostly hastened by the GI Bill, the percentage of Black students accepted at historically white colleges and universities only grew from less than 1% to 3% from 1943 to 1953. Lorena Chambers / Made By History, TIME, 26 Oct. 2024 Avoid or limit foods and beverages with a high glycemic index (GI), including white bread, rice, potatoes, sodas, and fruit juices. Lindsay Curtis, Health, 25 Oct. 2024 The condition was originally identified as the reason why some people who’d had GI surgery or a digestive disease developed malabsorption (or failed to soak up nutrients from food). Erica Sloan, SELF, 24 Oct. 2024 Why costs are both rising and falling for women GI: Your study took place at a time when Roe v. Wade was still the law. Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gi 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gi.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

galvanized iron; from abbreviation used in listing such articles as garbage cans, but taken as abbreviation for government issue

First Known Use

Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1943, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1949, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gi was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near gi

Cite this Entry

“Gi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gi. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

GI

1 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or characteristic of U.S. military forces

GI

2 of 2 noun
plural GIs or GI's
: a member or former member of the U.S. armed forces
Etymology

Adjective

from the abbreviation for galvanized iron used in listing such articles as garbage cans, but mistaken as standing for government issue

Medical Definition

GI

abbreviation
1
gastrointestinal
2
glycemic index

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