g
g — noun
1. the seventh letter used when writing English, coming after f and before h.
the seventh letter used when writing English, coming after f and before h.
Sana wrote a small g at the top of her notebook page.
lowercase form of the letter
The word 'dog' ends with the letter g.
Children often confuse the shapes of g and q when first learning to write.
letter shape confusion in handwriting
Type a capital G if the word starts a sentence.
uppercase G in sentence-initial position
- capital G
- lowercase g
- letter g
Usage Note
Refers to the letter as a written or spoken unit. Distinguish from sense 2, which is the musical note.
2. one of the seven main notes in Western music, sitting between F and A on the sca
one of the seven main notes in Western music, sitting between F and A on the scale.
Sumin played a long G on her violin to tune the other strings.
playing the note on an instrument
The song begins on a low G and rises slowly to a high C.
low G / high C for note pitch range
Most beginner guitar books teach the chord of G in the first lesson.
chord of G in music teaching
Élise sang the final G with surprising power.
- the key of G
- chord of G
- play a G
- high G
- low G
Usage Note
Almost always capitalised. Used both for the single note and for the chord built on it (the key of G).
3. a slang term used in spoken English for one thousand US dollars.
a slang term used in spoken English for one thousand US dollars.
Christopher said the used car would cost him about five Gs.
informal price expression with plural Gs
Winning the rap battle came with a prize of ten Gs in cash.
Lien borrowed two Gs from her brother to pay the rent deposit.
borrowed two Gs collocation
Erik claims the watch is worth twenty Gs, but I doubt it.
- five Gs
- a few Gs
- ten Gs
Usage Note
Mostly heard in American films, music, and casual conversation about money. Often plural ('Gs') when counting amounts.
Common Mistakes
4. a unit for measuring the force on a body when it speeds up or slows down quickly
a unit for measuring the force on a body when it speeds up or slows down quickly, equal to the pull of Earth's gravity at sea level.
Fighter pilots may experience up to nine g during a sharp turn.
up to nine g for high-acceleration contexts
Astronauts train in a centrifuge to handle three or four g without blacking out.
The roller coaster reaches almost five g at the bottom of the first drop.
reaches X g for peak acceleration on a ride
Zayd wrote that one g equals about 9.8 metres per second squared.
one g equivalence in SI units
- pull X g
- experience X g
- withstand X g
- one g
- g-force
the full term; 'g' is the symbol used after a number
Usage Note
Always lowercase. Distinguish from sense 5, where 'g' is the symbol for the gram (mass), not the unit of acceleration (force).
Common Mistakes
g — abbreviation
1. the short written form of 'gram', a small unit of mass used to weigh food, medic
the short written form of 'gram', a small unit of mass used to weigh food, medicine, and other light items.
Soraya added 200 g of flour to the cake mixture.
X g after an amount of an ingredient
The recipe calls for 50 g of butter and a pinch of salt.
Each tablet contains 500 mg, which equals half a g.
g compared with mg in units of mass
Mira weighed the parcel and saw it was just under 100 g.
weighed at just under X g for measurements
- 100 g
- 200 g of flour
- per 100 g
Usage Note
Written lowercase with no full stop and no plural 's' (write '200 g', not '200 gs.'). A space usually separates the number from the unit.
Common Mistakes
2. a US film rating that tells viewers a movie is suitable for people of any age, i
a US film rating that tells viewers a movie is suitable for people of any age, including young children.
Manuela picked a G-rated cartoon for her niece's birthday party.
G-rated as a hyphenated adjective
Most family films from the 1990s carry a G rating.
G rating as a noun phrase
Maeve only lets her four-year-old watch films rated G or PG.
films rated G or PG in age-suitability talk
The new animated movie received a G from the rating board.
- G rating
- G-rated film
- rated G
- U
British equivalent rating for films suitable for all ages
Usage Note
Used in the United States by the Motion Picture Association alongside PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. Outside the US, similar ratings use different letters (e.g. U in the UK).
Common collocations
Nouns
- capital G
- lowercase g
- G rating
- G-force
Etymology
The letter g entered the Roman alphabet around the 3rd century BC, formed by adding a small bar to the letter C to mark a distinct hard sound. English inherited it from Latin through the Norman French alphabet. The musical note name comes from the medieval Guidonian sol-fa system. The slang use of 'G' for one thousand dollars dates from American underworld speech in the early 20th century, where 'grand' was shortened to its first letter.
First known use
12th century
12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a