grace

I UK [ɡreɪs] / US noun
Word forms "grace":
singular grace plural graces
**

1)

a) [uncountable] a smooth and beautiful way of moving

She moved with natural grace.

b) a simple and beautiful quality

the grace of Greek architecture

2)

a) [uncountable] kind, polite, and fair behaviour

She captures the character's essential gentleness and grace.

have the (good) grace to do something:

He should have the grace to admit he was wrong.

with (good/a good) grace (= in a pleasant and willing way):

Davis accepted the defeat with good grace.

with bad/a bad/an ill grace (= in an unpleasant and unwilling way):

She responded with an ill grace to our appeal for help.

b) graces

[plural] skills that are necessary for polite or friendly relationships with other people

3) [singular/uncountable] a short prayer that some people say before they eat to thank God for the food

Eric, would you like to say grace?

4)

a) [uncountable] according to religious belief, the love and kindness that God gives to people

by/through God's grace:

It was only by God's grace that we were saved.

b) according to religious belief, the condition of people when they are loved and forgiven by God

state of grace:

He died in a state of grace.

5) [uncountable] extra time that you have, or that someone allows you to have, in order to do something such as pay money that you owe

Could you give me a couple of days' grace to pay the rent?

6) [countable] a grace note

•

be in someone's good/bad graces — to be in a situation in which someone is pleased or angry with you

Johnson appears to be back in the government's good graces.

His/Her/Your Grace — used for talking about or to a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop

the (three) Graces — three beautiful sister goddesses from ancient Greek stories

there but for the grace of God (go I) — used for saying that if you were less lucky you might be in the same bad situation as someone else

See:

fall I

II UK [ɡreɪs] / US verb [transitive]
Word forms "grace":
present tense I/you/we/they grace he/she/it graces present participle gracing past tense graced past participle graced

1) to make something more attractive, pleasing, or interesting

Her photograph graced many a magazine cover.

2) humorous if someone important graces a group or an event, they go to it. This word is often used in a humorous way to show that someone does not often come to a particular event or has arrived very late

How kind of you to grace us with your presence.