ginger
gb/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ/ us/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
spicy root used in cooking
A spicy root used to flavor food and drinks.
Usage pattern:
[some] ginger; [fresh/ground] ginger; [a piece of] ginger
Common mistake:
Learners may think ginger is always a powder; in recipes it can also mean fresh root.
Synonyms
gingerroot (More explicit that it is the root; common in AmE.)
Collocations
fresh ginger
|ground ginger
|grated ginger
|ginger root
|ginger paste
|ginger tea
|ginger biscuits
|ginger in cooking
|a knob of ginger
|a slice of ginger
Themes
food_cooking
|ingredients
|flavors
Examples
- Add a teaspoon of grated ginger to the sauce.
- I bought fresh ginger to make a curry.
- The soup has garlic, ginger, and soy sauce.
Learner examples
- I put ginger in my tea.
- This dish tastes of ginger.
Noun
B2
entity
2
ginger plant
A plant whose root is used as a spice.
Usage pattern:
ginger grows in [place]; a ginger plant
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use this sense when they mean the spice (the root) used in cooking.
Collocations
ginger plant
|wild ginger
|ginger flowers
|grow ginger
|ginger cultivation
|ginger crop
Themes
plants
|nature
|food_cooking
Examples
- Ginger grows well in warm, humid climates.
- She keeps a ginger plant in a pot on the patio.
- The farm harvests ginger twice a year.
Learner examples
- Ginger is a plant.
- They grow ginger on the farm.
adjective
B2
property
3
reddish-orange hair color
A reddish-orange color, especially for hair.
Usage pattern:
ginger hair; ginger curls; [someone] is ginger
Common mistake:
This does not mean the person tastes like ginger; it refers to hair color.
Synonyms
reddish (More general; not specifically orange-red hair.)
|
auburn (Often darker and more brown-red than typical 'ginger'.)
Antonyms
dark (Opposes in typical hair-color descriptions.)
Collocations
ginger hair
|ginger curls
|ginger beard
|ginger fringe
|natural ginger
|bright ginger
Themes
appearance
|colors
|people
Examples
- She has ginger hair and freckles.
- He used to dye his beard ginger.
- In the photo, her curls look bright ginger.
Learner examples
- My brother has ginger hair.
Noun
informal
B2
role
4
red-haired person (informal)
An informal word for someone with red hair.
Usage pattern:
a ginger; gingers
Common mistake:
In some contexts this can sound rude or insulting; use 'redhead' if you want a neutral word.
Synonyms
redhead (More neutral and widely acceptable.)
Collocations
a ginger kid
|a ginger boy
|a ginger girl
|gingers at school
Themes
people
|appearance
|society
Examples
- He’s a natural redhead, but people at school used to call him a ginger.
- She didn’t like being referred to as a ginger.
- There were a few gingers in the class photo.
Learner examples
- She is a redhead.
Verb
informal
C1
action
5
add energy or excitement
To make something more exciting or lively.
Usage pattern:
ginger [something] (up)
Common mistake:
Most often used with 'up' (ginger something up).
Synonyms
liven up (Very common phrasal verb with the same idea.)
|
spice up (Often suggests adding novelty or fun, sometimes in food or romance contexts.)
Antonyms
dull (To make less interesting (opposite effect).)
Collocations
ginger it up
|ginger up a speech
|ginger up the design
|ginger up the campaign
|ginger up the presentation
Themes
communication
|work
|emotions
Examples
- They added music to ginger up the event.
- Try to ginger up your introduction with a short story.
- The editor suggested a few changes to ginger the article up.
Learner examples
- Let’s ginger up the presentation.
Noun
informal
C1
abstract
6
liveliness or pep
Extra energy or excitement.
Usage pattern:
add (some) ginger to [something]
Common mistake:
This is a figurative meaning; it does not refer to the spice.
Synonyms
pep (Very close in meaning; often about energy and enthusiasm.)
|
zip (Slightly more informal; suggests quick energy.)
Antonyms
dullness (Lack of energy or interest.)
Collocations
a bit of ginger
|add ginger to it
|need more ginger
|with some ginger
Themes
emotions
|communication
|work
Examples
- The new manager brought some ginger to the team.
- The article needs a little more ginger to keep readers interested.
- Her jokes added ginger to an otherwise serious talk.
Grammar
Dictionary form
ginger
IPA
GB/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ/
US/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ/
Syllables & stress
ginger (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (ginger)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: ginger
Noun
- Base: ginger
- Plural: ginger
Verb
- Base: ginger
- 3rd Person Singular: gingers
- Present Participle: gingering
- Past: gingered
Word family
Forms
gingers
verb
gingering
verb
gingered
verb
Core family
gingery
adjective
Related words
gingerbread
noun B1
Expressions
ginger ale
1/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ ˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
sweet fizzy ginger-flavored drink
A sweet, fizzy drink with ginger flavor, usually without alcohol.
Examples
- She ordered a glass of ginger ale instead of wine.
- Ginger ale is often used as a mixer in cocktails.
ginger ale
1/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ ˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
sweet fizzy ginger drink
A fizzy drink with ginger flavor.
Examples
- I’ll have a ginger ale with ice, please.
- She drank ginger ale to settle her stomach.
- They stocked the fridge with cola and ginger ale.
ginger beer
1/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ bˈɪɹ/
fixed phrase
ginger-flavored drink (often fizzy)
A drink with a strong ginger taste, usually fizzy.
Examples
- This ginger beer is really spicy.
- He mixed ginger beer with lime for a refreshing drink.
- They sell both alcoholic and non-alcoholic ginger beer.
ginger root
1/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ ɹˈut/
fixed phrase
fresh ginger sold as root
Fresh ginger that looks like a root.
Examples
- I need a small piece of ginger root for this recipe.
- Ginger root keeps best in the fridge.
- She peeled the ginger root before slicing it.
ginger snap
1/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ snˈæp/
fixed phrase
crisp ginger cookie
A crunchy cookie with ginger flavor.
Examples
- She served ginger snaps with coffee.
- These ginger snaps are too hard to bite!
- I like ginger snaps because they’re spicy and sweet.
ginger tea
1/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ tˈi/
fixed phrase
tea flavored with ginger
A hot drink made with ginger.
Examples
- I made ginger tea with honey and lemon.
- Ginger tea is my go-to drink when I feel cold.
- She ordered a cup of ginger tea after dinner.
ginger up
1/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
informal
make something more lively
To make something more exciting.
Examples
- We need to ginger up the brochure with better photos.
- He tried to ginger up his speech with a few jokes.
- They gingered up the party with a live band.
gingerbread
1/d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚbɹˌɛd/
fixed phrase
spiced sweet cake or cookie
A sweet baked food made with ginger and spices.
Examples
- We made gingerbread cookies for the holidays.
- The kids decorated a gingerbread house with icing.
- I love the smell of gingerbread baking.
pickled ginger
1/pˈɪkəld d͡ʒˈɪnd͡ʒɚ/
fixed phrase
ginger preserved in vinegar
Ginger kept in vinegar, eaten as a side.
Examples
- The sushi came with pickled ginger and wasabi.
- I like the sharp taste of pickled ginger.
- She added pickled ginger to the salad for extra flavor.