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Glite Dictionary
grease gun

grease gun

1 4.4
A hand tool that puts grease into machine parts
  • noun
  • /ɡriːs ɡʌn/
translation icon : engrasadora

Examples

  • Either one of you guys know anything about grease guns?

    The Laughing Policeman (1973)

  • So Kamon pulled the grease gun away from the bulk oil dispenser and started filling up an outer rod end, stopping a second too.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • To maintain the machinery, he used a grease gun to apply lubricant to the moving parts.

  • The mechanic recommended using a grease gun for more precise application of the lubricant.

  • Make sure to clean the nozzle of the grease gun after each use to prevent clogs.

Synonyms

gun
vsgrease gun
  • Specialized
140 7.0

A hand tool that pushes grease into machine parts

is a general tool for applying lubricant not always pistol shaped
lubricator
vsgrease gun
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A device that puts oil or grease on moving parts

focuses on direct application into specific machine parts rather than general lubrication

How Automatic

lubricator
  • Specialized
1 5.6
grease gun
1 4.4
oilcan
5.5

Surface Forms

grease gun singular
grease guns plural

Morphology

grease + gun

The meaning is directly compositional: 'grease' (lubricant) plus 'gun' (a handheld device that shoots or dispenses) yields a tool for applying lubricant. The extension of 'gun' to mean a dispensing device is common and cross-linguistically recognizable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Grease gun combines grease, the thick oil used on machines, and gun, because the tool looks and works like a small gun you point and squeeze to push out grease, so it means 'a tool to apply grease'.