graft
/ɡrɑːft/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡræft/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgraft/ (ame, mw)
graft — noun
- graftsingular
- graftsplural
1. a small section of living tissue — for example a strip of skin, a chip of bone,
a small section of living tissue — for example a strip of skin, a chip of bone, or a shoot from a tree — taken from one body or stem and fixed in another, where it joins up and keeps growing as part of the new host.
The surgeon used a skin graft from Imran's thigh to cover the burn on his shoulder.
skin graft from [body part]
Doctors at the Taipei hospital placed a bone graft inside Sophia's broken jaw.
bone graft inside [body part]
The gardener tied a small graft from the old apple tree onto a young branch.
Yuna's eye surgeon explained that the corneal graft might take several weeks to settle.
Caleb's father grows pear trees by taking grafts from healthy older plants each spring.
- transplant
covers a whole organ; graft is usually a smaller piece of tissue or plant material
- implant
often man-made (metal, plastic); a graft is biological
文法句型
skin/bone/plant + graft
用法筆記
Frequently modified by a body-part or plant noun (skin, bone, cornea, apple). Object of verbs like take, place, receive, or attach.
常見錯誤
2. tiring, demanding effort that you put in steadily over a long time, especially p
tiring, demanding effort that you put in steadily over a long time, especially physical labour or repetitive tasks that test your stamina.
Ziad opened his bakery after twenty years of hard graft in other people's kitchens.
hard graft (fixed collocation)
Running a small farm in winter is real graft, even with modern machines.
predicative: is real graft
Greta said her exam grades were the result of months of quiet graft at the library.
The builders looked tired after a long day of graft on the new school roof.
文法句型
hard graft
after years of graft
用法筆記
Mostly British and Australian; uncountable. Common in the fixed phrase 'hard graft'. American English usually prefers 'hard work' or 'grind' here.
常見錯誤
3. money, contracts, or other personal rewards that someone obtains by abusing a pu
money, contracts, or other personal rewards that someone obtains by abusing a public role — for example by taking bribes, steering deals to friends, or trading official favours for cash.
Three city officials were arrested last week on charges of graft and tax fraud.
charges of graft (collocation)
Voters in Manila marched through the streets to protest against political graft at city hall.
political graft (modifier + headword)
The new mayor promised to clean up graft inside the police department within his first year.
Reporters at the Jakarta Post uncovered graft involving road-building contracts worth millions.
- corruption
broader; covers the whole system, while graft is the specific act of taking money
- bribery
narrower; only the exchange of money or gifts, not the wider self-enrichment
- kickback
a single payment received for steering a contract; graft is the ongoing practice
文法句型
accusations/charges of graft
political graft
用法筆記
Uncountable; common in news writing. Often paired with 'corruption' or contrasted with 'honest work'. Subject is usually an institution (city hall, the department) rather than a single person.
常見錯誤
4. the action or procedure of attaching one piece of tissue or plant material onto
the action or procedure of attaching one piece of tissue or plant material onto another so that it joins and grows — the operation itself, rather than the piece used.
The graft of the donor cornea onto Yuna's eye took less than an hour.
the graft of [tissue] onto [body part]
Successful graft of new buds onto rose stems requires steady hands and a clean knife.
graft of [plant part] onto [plant]
Veterinary students at the college watched a careful graft of skin onto a dog's burnt leg.
The graft of the apple shoot took several weeks before new leaves appeared.
- transplantation
broader medical term; can cover whole organs
- implantation
stresses placing something inside the host; covers artificial pieces too
文法句型
the graft of [tissue/plant]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (the physical piece): sense 1 is the thing moved; sense 4 is the moving. If you can replace the word with 'the procedure' the sense is 4; if with 'the piece' the sense is 1.
常見錯誤
graft — verb
- graftpresent simple I / you / we / they
- grafts3rd person singular
- grafting-ing form
- graftedpast simple
1. to fix a small piece of living skin, bone, or plant material onto a different bo
to fix a small piece of living skin, bone, or plant material onto a different body or plant so that it joins and continues to grow there, usually as part of a medical operation or gardening.
Doctors grafted healthy skin from Mateo's back onto his burned hand.
graft [tissue] from [body part] onto [body part]
Henrik's grandfather grafted three pear branches onto a single apple tree in the orchard.
graft [plant part] onto [plant]
Surgeons at the Seoul clinic grafted a small piece of bone into Hui's shattered ankle.
Stefan learned to graft rose stems during his summer at the botanical garden.
The team grafted donor cells onto the damaged heart muscle during the trial.
- transplant
usually for whole organs; graft is for smaller tissue or plant pieces
- implant
often artificial objects; graft keeps the living-tissue feel
文法句型
graft [tissue/plant] onto [recipient]
用法筆記
Always followed by an object plus 'onto', 'to', or 'into' that names the recipient. Frequently passive in medical writing ('skin was grafted from...').
常見錯誤
2. to add something new — an idea, a feature, a person, or a style — onto something
to add something new — an idea, a feature, a person, or a style — onto something that already exists, in a way that makes the new part seem joined and growing with the old.
Élise grafted a modern glass roof onto the old stone library in Lyon.
graft [feature] onto [structure]
The new manager tried to graft Western feedback habits onto a traditional Japanese team.
graft [practice] onto [group]
Critics said the director had grafted a happy ending onto a serious novel.
Soraya grafted bossa nova rhythms onto her classical piano playing.
- attach
more neutral; lacks the sense of forced merging
- graft on
particle form, same meaning
- superimpose
stresses the new layer sitting on top, not blending in
文法句型
graft [new thing] onto [existing thing]
用法筆記
Metaphorical extension of sense 1; the object is usually an abstract feature (idea, style, practice) and 'onto' names the host. Often carries a faint judgement that the joining feels imposed rather than natural — context tells you whether the writer approves.
常見錯誤
3. to keep working in a steady, tiring way over many hours or years, often at physi
to keep working in a steady, tiring way over many hours or years, often at physical tasks or studies that demand patience and stamina.
Ayana grafted away at her medical textbooks every evening after her hospital shift.
graft away at [task]
Tyler's parents grafted for decades to pay off the small farm in Yorkshire.
graft for [duration]
The builders grafted from dawn until dusk to finish the school before the rainy season.
Shanti grafted in her uncle's shop every weekend during high school.
- loaf
informal opposite — to avoid work
文法句型
graft away at [task]
用法筆記
Intransitive; often paired with 'away' to stress steady, repetitive effort. British and Australian informal — American speakers typically say 'slog away' or 'work flat out' instead.