gay

Adjective

gay (comparative gayer, superlative gayest)

1. Homosexual:
   1. (of a person) Possessing sexual and/or romantic attraction towards people one perceives to be the same sex or gender as oneself. [from 1950]

      Cliff is gay, but his twin brother is straight.

      • 1947, Rorschach Research Exchange and Journal of Projective Techniques, page 240:

        He was not happy at the farm and went to a Western city where he associated with a homosexual crowd, being "gay," and wearing female clothes and makeup.

      • 2003, Michael McAvennie, The World Wrestling Entertainment Yearbook:

        She couldn't even gain access from a family friend whose name was on the list, nor could she use her feminine charms to turn on the staff member, who revealed he was gay and was more impressed seeing Billy and Chuck enter the building.

      • 2005, Mark Caldwell, New York Night, page 133:

        Of the dozen or so surviving articles, squibs, and letters to the editor, the most remarkable appeared in the Whip and Satirist’s February 12, 1842, issue, and disclosed the existence of a cabal of gay men in New York's otherwise wholesome nightscape of brothels and riots. Moreover it identified the spider who minced so delicately along the wide-flung strands of the sodomitical web. "There is not one so degraded as this Captain Collins, the King of the Sodomites." He was a foreigner, an Englishman, in the long tradition of blaming homosexuality on the influence of aliens. Among the syndicate of perverts, the writer announced, "we find no Americans as yet—they are all Englishmen or French" (the English called homosexuality the French vice and the French the English vice; for the Whip it was the French and English vice).

      • 2007, Kevin P. Murphy, Jason Ruiz, David Serlin, Queer Futures, Radical History Review (Duke University Press), page 58:

        The two failed attempts to receive the necessary access to medicalized transition procedures by the renowned FTM activist Lou Sullivan—a gay man who refused to comply with the imperative that transsexual men must desire women— […]

      • 2009, Betty Jean Lifton, Lost & Found: the Adoption Experience, page 67:

        Her adoptive mother fainted when Gail told her she was gay.

   2. (strictly) Describing a homosexual man.

      gay and lesbian people

   3. (of an animal, by extension) Tending to partner or mate with other individuals of the same sex.
      • 2010, Noėl Sturgeon, Environmentalism in Popular Culture: Gender, Race, Sexuality, and the Politics of the Natural, page 128:

        In fact, as several letter writers to the New York Times pointed out in their response to the article, the disjuncture between these two popularized penguins shows how radically separated from each other are communities of gay people and communities of right-wing religious conservatives: if the Christian fundamentalists had looked up "gay penguins" or even "penguins" on the Internet, they would have encountered several gay penguin sites, including the story of Roy and Silo, the Central Park Zoo gay penguin couple about whom a children's book was written; the saga of the gay penguin community at a German zoo; and the campaign of Gay Penguin for President (whose slogan was "George W. Bush talks the talk, but Gay Penguin walks the walk.")

   4. (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.

      Although the number of gay weddings has increased significantly, many gay and lesbian couples — like many straight couples — are not interested in getting married.

      gay marriage

      gay sex

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

      Coordinate term: LGBTQ

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

      She professes an undying love for gay bars and gay movies, and even admits to having watched gay porn.

      • 1977, Charles Silverstein, Edmund White, The Joy of Gay Sex, New York: Crown Publishers, →ISBN, page 162:

        Gays meet each other in special-interest social groups—gay softball leagues, gay bike clubs, gay gymnasia, gay activist political organizations, the Gay Academic Union (an organization for gay teachers, scholars and students), gay university student clubs and so on.

      • 2003, Lawrence Block, Small Town, page 269:

        He might well have suspected Cheek was a gay bar without seeing any of its patrons, simply because it was in a neighborhood where most of the bars were gay, and because you couldn't see in the windows.

      • 2004, Martin Hughes, Sarah Johnstone, Tom Masters, London, page 208:

        Turn left into chilled-out Old Compton St and try to guess which bars are gay. Even the straight bars in Soho are quite gay, so it's often a bit hard to tell.

      • 2010, Jay Mohr, No Wonder My Parents Drank: Tales from a Stand-Up Dad, page 252:

        Again I was to masturbate into a cup and again the majority of the porn was gay.

   7. (slang, with for) Homosexually in love with someone.
      • 2014 December 6, Ej Dickson, “The 7 worst things about NBC's "Peter Pan Live!"”, in Salon.com‎:

        […] the pirates, who are obviously totally gay for each other […]

      • 2014, Christopher Schaberg, Robert Bennett, Deconstructing Brad Pitt, Bloomsbury Publishing USA, →ISBN, page 211:

        Being gay for Brad, even a teensy bit, is at the very least being able to imagine the potential for queerness. In a sense, like the recent popular and critical furor over men who are gay-for-pay, being gay for Brad is what Jeffrey Escoffier defines as "situational homosexuality," or other forms of man-on-man behavior […] In other words, rather than worry over whether or not men who are queer for Brad can easily be labeled as straight or gay, […]

      • 2017 May 2, German Lopez, “Stephen Colbert tried to insult Donald Trump. He made a homophobic comment instead.”, in Vox‎:

        […] it’s now pretty popular among progressives to paint the US and Russian presidents as being gay for each other.

   8. (slang, humorous, with for) Infatuated with something, aligning with homosexual stereotypes.
      • 2014 December 31, Dan Savage, anonymous quotee, “Savage Love”, in The Stranger‎:

        Vanilla straight guy here. […] Is it socially acceptable for me to good-naturedly say, "I'm totally gay for musical theater"?

   9. In accordance with stereotypes of homosexual people:
      1. (loosely, of appearance or behavior) Being in accordance with stereotypes of gay people, especially gay men.
      2. (loosely, of a person, especially a man) Exhibiting appearance or behavior that accords with stereotypes of gay people, especially gay men.
         • a. 2005, Jason Christopher Hartley, “October 23, 2004: This Is My Weapon, This Is My Gerber”, in Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq, HarperCollins, published 2005, →ISBN, page 25:

           This incident has become a source of much discussion, and the jury is still out on who is more gay: the guy who touched a dick or the guy who let a guy touch his dick.

2. A pejorative:
   1. (slang, derogatory) Effeminate or flamboyant in behavior.
   2. (slang, derogatory) Used to express dislike: lame, uncool, stupid, burdensome, contemptible, generally bad.

      Synonym: ghey

      This game is gay; let’s play a different one.

      • 1996, Lisa's Date With Density, The Simpsons (cartoon television series). Upon discovering Nelson kissing Lisa:

        Dolph: "Oh, man! You kissed a girl!"

        Jimbo: "That is so gay!"

3. (dated) Happy, joyful, and lively.

   The Gay Science

   • c. 1692, William Walch, preface to Letters and Poems, Amorous and Gallant, in John Dryden, The Fourth Part of Miſcellany Poems, Jacob Tonson (publisher, 1716), page 338:

     Never was there a more copious Fancy or greater reach of Wit, than what appears in Dr. Donne; nothing can be more gallant or gentile than the poems of Mr. Waller; nothing more gay or ſprightly than thoſe of Sir John Suckling; and nothing fuller of Variety and Learning than Mr. Cowley’s.

   • 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Affair at the Novelty Theatre”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:

     Miss Phyllis Morgan, as the hapless heroine dressed in the shabbiest of clothes, appears in the midst of a gay and giddy throng; she apostrophises all and sundry there, including the villain, and has a magnificent scene which always brings down the house, and nightly adds to her histrionic laurels.

   • 1934, George Marion Jr. et al., (title):

     The Gay Divorcee.

   • 1972, Gilbert O'Sullivan (lyrics and music), “Alone Again (Naturally)”, in Back to Front:

     To think that only yesterday / I was cheerful, bright and gay

   • 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 252:

     The excitement engendered by the decision to die perked him right up; he had not felt so gay for ages.

4. (dated) Quick, fast.
   • 1873, Gwordie Greenup, Yance a Year, section 25:

     I went a gay shack, / For it started to rain.

   • 1918, Hunter-trader-trapper, page 36:

     We launched our canoe and were off at a gay clip for Hackettstown, where Mart had a married sister, and we were figuring on big eats.

   • 2016, Laura Jean Libbey, Mischievous Maid Faynie, Library of Alexandria, →ISBN:

     " […] there is no one more competent to make it fly at a gay pace than myself. A prince of the royal blood couldn't go at a faster pace than I have been going during these last three weeks! Ha, ha, ha!" In a moment he was kneeling before the safe.

   • 2019, Lawrence Lariar, He Died Laughing, Open Road Media, →ISBN:

     We shot along Sunset Boulevard at a gay pace, and squealed a turn down Vine Street with never a jitterbug pedestrian to make the driving interesting.

5. (dated) Festive, bright, or colourful.

   Pennsylvania Dutch include the plain folk and the gay folk.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     A Beavie of fair women, richly gay / In gems and wanton dress.

   • 1881, J. P. McCaskey (editor), “Deck the Hall^[sic]”, Franklin Square Song Collection, number 1, Harper & Brothers (New York), page 120:

     Don we now our gay apparel.

   • 1944, Ralph Blane, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, Meet Me in St. Louis, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

     Make the Yule-tide gay / From now on our troubles will be miles away

   • 1946 May and June, “Notes and News: Special Services for the Welsh National Eisteddfod”, in Railway Magazine, page 188:

     Rhos station had been cleaned up for the occasion, and its single platform was gay with flags.

6. (obsolete) Sexually promiscuous (of any gender), (sometimes particularly) engaged in prostitution.
   • 1806 (edition of 1815), John Davis, The Post-Captain, page 150:

     As our heroes passed along the Strand, they were accosted by a hundred gay ladies, who asked them if they were good-natured. "Devil take me!" exclaimed Echo, "if I know which way my ship heads; but there is not a girl in the Strand that I would touch with my gloves on."

   • 1856, Bayle St. John, The Subalpine kingdom: or, Experiences and studies in Savoy, Piedmont, and Genoa, volume 2, page 158:

     Prince Borghese was what is called a "gay, dissipated man"—that is to say, a powerful person leading a debauched and infamous life.

   • 1879, Great Britain, Reports from committees, House of Commons, page 61:

     […] it is possible for people to be diseased without being prostitutes or gay women; it is possible for people years ago to have spent a gay life and to have not got rid of their disease, or they may have become diseased by their husbands or lovers.

   • 1889, Albert Barrère, Charles Godfrey Leland, A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant: Embracing English, American, and Anglo-Indian Slang, Pidgin English, Tinker's Jargon and Other Irregular Phraseology‎, volume 1, page 399:

     Gay (common), loose, dissipated; a "gay woman" or "gay girl," a prostitute. "All gay," vide ALL GAY.

   • 1898, John Mackinnon Robertson, G. Aston Singer, “The Social Evil Problem”, in The University magazine and free review: a monthly magazine, volume 9, page 308:

     She imprudently forms the acquaintance of a "gay girl" living in the same street.

   • 1899, Henry Fielding, edited by Edmund Gosse, The works of Henry Fielding with an introduction, volume 11, page 290:

     "As nothing could be more gay, i.e., debauched, than Zeno's court, so the ladies of gay disposition had great sway in it; particularly one, whose name was Fausta, who, though not extremely handsome, was by her wit and sprightliness very agreeable to the emperor.

   • 1937, Dorothy L. Sayers, Busman's Honeymoon, page 357:

     "It's an odd thing," he observed, "that men like Crutchley, with quantities of large white teeth, are practically always gay Lotharios."

   • 1946, George Johnston, Skyscrapers in the Mist, page 88:

     Most of them liked the work because it was gay and because they were able to earn more than other girls who worked in offices or city stores. They apparently remain taxi-dancers for only about a year or two[.]

7. (of a dog's tail) Upright or curved over the back.
   • 1997, Michael DeVine, Border Collies:

     While the dog in concentrating at a given task, the tail is carried low and used for balance. In excitement it may rise level with the back. A “gay” tail is a fault.

   • 2000, David Leavitt, Martin Bauman; or, a Sure Thing:

     By now Nora had left my side and was grappling with Maisie, trying to hold her still long enough to examine her bit. “You haven’t trained her well,” she muttered to Eli. “Oh, she’s got a gay tail!” Eli laughed. “A gay tail? What does that mean?” “It curls upward.” Nona let Maisie go. “Still, you never intended her to be a show dog,” she added. brushing off her skirt as she made for the house.

8. (Scotland, Northern England, possibly obsolete) Considerable, great, large in number, size, or degree. In this sense, also in the variant gey.
   • 1832, George Pearson, Evenings by Eden-side: Or, Essays and Poems, page 67:

     As his reply was rather characteristic, I will give it : Many of them come a gay bit off.

   • 1872, William Cullen Bryant, A Library of Poetry and Song, page 106:

     Thou 's wantin' a sweetheart? Thou 's had a gay few! An' thou 's cheatit them, […]

   • 1876 (edition; original 1871), Richardson, Talk 1:

     A gay deal different to what I is noo.

   • 1881, Dixon, Craven Dales:

     There were a gay bit of lace on it.

   • 1881, Edwin Waugh, Tufts of Heather, I. 106:

     T'country-side was rid on him for a gay while.

   • 1895, Sir Hall Caine, The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance, page 131:

     "He has a gay bit of gumption in him, has Ray. It'll be no kitten play to catch hold on him, and they know that they do." The emphasis was accompanied by a lowered tone, and a sidelong motion of the head towards a doorway […]

   • 1903, Robert Smith Surtees, Handley Cross, New York: D. Appleton, page 431:

     "It's a gay bit off, though." "Trot on!" retorted Mr. Jorrocks anxiously, spurring Arterxerxes vehemently, an insult that the animal resented by a duck of his head and a hoist of his heels. Bump, bump, trot, trot, squash, splash, swosh, they went  ...

Noun

gay (plural gays)

1. (now chiefly in the plural) A homosexual, especially a male homosexual.

   Coordinate term: lesbian

   • 1969, “N.Y. Gays: Will the Spark Die?”, in The Advocate‎:

     [headline] N.Y. Gays: Will the Spark Die?

   • 1974, Earl Wilson, Show Business Laid Bare‎:

     "Same-sex dancing, as we call it, is quite legal," a gay named Lew Todd, who was one of the spokesmen, spoke up.

   • 2003, Marilyn J. Davidson, Sandra L. Fielden, Individual Diversity and Psychology in Organizations, page 73:

     Yet that does not mean that the issues, concerns and attitudes of gays and lesbians in the workplace are not important.

   • 2004, Betty Berzon, Permanent Partners: Building Gay & Lesbian Relationships That Last, page 20:

     Older gays and lesbians often relegate themselves to separate and unequal meeting places.

   • 2012, Todd J. Ormsbee, The Meaning of Gay, page 313:

     On June 28, 1970, young gays in the city held a “Gay-in” in Golden Gate Park, and Gay Sunshine ran a photo of some of the participants in their inaugural issue […]

2. (dialectal, obsolete) Something which is bright or colorful, such as a picture or a flower.
   • 1839, Charles Clark, John Noakes and Mary Styles, st. 157:

     At a stall soon Mary bote / A hume-book full ov gays.

   • 1892, P. H. Emerson, A Son of the Fens, page 73:

     I had no books to read, but plenty of gays to look at.

   • 1893, Cozens-Hardy, Broad Nrf., page 38:

     ‘Can't you mow the aftermath in the churchyard before Sunday?’ ‘Not time enough, sir, but I'll cut off they gays.’

   • a. 1900, W. R. Eaton of Norfolk, quoted in 1900, Joseph Wright, The English Dialect Dictionary:

     There's a good child; look at the gays, and keep quiet.

3. (obsolete) An ornament, a knick-knack.
   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:

     Look upon precepts in emblems, as they do to upon gays and pictures.

   • 1906, Cornish Notes & Queries: (first Series) (Cornish Telegraph, Peter Penn), page 132:

     If however the stranger be suspected of “sailing under false colours," when they are all in familiar chat about nothing in particular, “Cousin Jacky” will take occasion to say to the new chum, “My dear; ded 'e ever see a duck clunk a gay?" […] no more deceived by him than a duck can be made to clunk (swallow) a gay (fragment of broken crockery).

Verb

gay (third-person singular simple present gays, present participle gaying, simple past and past participle gayed)

1. (transitive, dated, uncommon) To make happy or cheerful. [since at least the 1920s]
   • 1922, Thomas Hardy, Late lyrics and earlier: with many other verses, page 119:

     SAYING GOOD-BYE (song)
     WE are always saying / "Good-bye, good-bye! / In work, in playing, / In gloom, in gaying […]

   • 1952, American Childhood, volume 38, page 2:

     Gaying Things Up For Christmas. JESSIE TODD, Laboratory School, University of Chicago.
     EVERY schoolroom in America is gayed up for Christmas.

2. (transitive, uncommon) To cause (something, e.g. AIDS) to be associated with homosexual people. [popularized in the 1990s]

Adverb

gay

1. (Scotland, Northern England) Considerably, very.
   • 1833, John Sim Sands, Poems on Various Subjects, page 115:

     And, tho' his guts ware lank and toom, / They're twice as big's this gay big room.

   • 1869, Joseph Carr, Sketches of village life, by “Eavesdropper”, page 60:

     Now, to end my story, if o' t' village beauties wad git t' religion that good auld parson Jenkins recommends, it wad gay sharply mak' t' dirty women clean, […]

   • 1875, Dickinson, Cumbriana; Or, Fragments of Cumbrian Life, page 8:

     […] an' be t' Silver Cwove, an' than throo t' Pillar, an' a gay rough bit o' grund it is!

   • 1886, Thomas Farrall, Betty Wilson's Cummerland Teals, section 42:

     When a fellah com' in 'at was gay free wid spendin.

   • 1892-3, Mrs. Humphry Ward, The History of David Grieve, volume I, page 19:

     She'll mak naw moor mischeef neets—she's gay quiet now!

Noun

gay (plural gays)

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

Derived terms

Declension

Usage notes

• Seldom inflected, as this term does not readily fit into Finnish inflection patterns. Instead, corresponding forms of synonymous expressions or compounds such as gay-mies (“gay man”) or gay-poika (“gay boy”) are used.

Declension

Synonyms

• homo

References

• Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay Yuwaalayaay Dictionary 2003

Synonyms

• homine gay
• persona gay