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Glite Dictionary
to get grey hair

to get grey hair

1 2.8
To start having grey hair because of age or stress
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : tener canas
  • So I learned actually from my doctor, this is a fun fact, that some people can get Gray hairs from being in fight or flight.

I think getting Gray hair is a mercy from God.

Examples

  • As I age, I can see that I am starting to get grey hair on the sides of my head.

  • Many people fear that they will get grey hair in their thirties due to lifestyle and stress.

  • I think getting Gray hair is a mercy from God.

    Danny Jones

  • After all the stress at work this year, I noticed I have begun to get grey hair earlier than expected.

Antonyms

youthful
85 3.1

Having the energy and fresh look of a young person

How Grey

to get grey hair
  • UK
1 2.8
to gray
  • US
12 1.8

Surface Forms

get grey hair infinitive
get gray hair infinitive
getting grey hair present participle
getting gray hair present participle
gets grey hair third person singular
gets gray hair third person singular
got grey hair past
got gray hair past
gotten grey hair past participle
gotten gray hair past participle

Morphology

get + gray + hair

The meaning 'to develop grey hair' is directly derivable from combining 'get' (acquire/come to have) with 'grey hair' (hair that is grey), so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer the meaning. The 'get + NP/adjective' pattern meaning 'become/obtain' is common in English and across languages, making this expression readily comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Get grey hair comes from the simple image of your hair starting to get small grey strands as you grow older or feel a lot of stress, so people use it to say 'to start to have grey hair'.