Synonyms
Examples of gird in a Sentence
Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024
China has announced a raft of measures to resuscitate a plateauing economy, even as the country's new premier warns its legions of bureaucrats to gird themselves for a period of fiscal austerity ahead.
—Emily Feng, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024
But that also means what pierces more readily are the smaller moments, like the private sorrow and intellectual excitement girding Ellis-Taylor’s portrayal.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2023
Officials are also girding for the potential impact of strikes.
—Rick Noack, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Seemingly girded by intermission, pretty much everyone returned for the Beethoven.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024
Or should Britons gird themselves for the passing of another sovereign?
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Europe needs to start preparing now to withstand that pressure internally, girding itself to better defend the rule of law within its borders.
—Arancha González Laya, Foreign Affairs, 2 Feb. 2024
Much bigger players are girding themselves for losses linked to commercial real estate.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gird.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb (1)
Middle English girden "to encircle the waist of, put a belt about, prepare (oneself)," going back to Old English gyrdan "to encircle with a belt, equip," going back to Germanic *gurđjan- (whence also Old Saxon gurdian "to encircle with a belt," Old High German gurten, Old Norse gyrða), probably from a zero-grade derivative of the Indo-European root seen in *ghorto- or *ghordho- "enclosure" — more at yard entry 1
Verb (2)
Middle English, to strike, thrust
Verb (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a
Verb (2)
1546, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun
1566, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing gird
Dictionary Entries Near gird
Cite this Entry
“Gird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gird. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
gird
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on gird
Nglish: Translation of gird for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of gird for Arabic Speakers
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