What does group mean?
Group is a basic collective noun for a number of people, animals, or things considered together, whether they form a social unit, a category, or a cluster. The most familiar sense concerns people acting together, as in a committee, class, family, or support network. Group also supplies a mathematical term: in group theory, a set of elements is combined under an operation that preserves the structure. As a verb, group means to bring things together or classify them by a criterion. The word is generally neutral, although it can suggest formal organization, conformity, or exclusion from an in-group. Attributive uses such as group work and group theory make its broader collective sense easy to recognize. Its usefulness lies in its flexibility: the same word can name a recognizable set without specifying its members, membership rules, or purpose.
A number of people, animals, or things regarded as a collective, especially people sharing an activity, organization, or category.
"The support group meets every Thursday evening."
The noun is highly broad. With people, it may suggest either voluntary association or an externally defined category.
To place, organize, or classify people or things together.
"The teacher grouped the students by reading level."
It is usually transitive when used to classify, though it can also be used intransitively to describe coming together.
Relating to or characteristic of a group.
"The report describes changes in group behaviour after the workshop."
The adjective is chiefly attributive, especially in combinations such as group behaviour and group therapy.
The regular plural is groups; in a phrase such as a group of, group remains singular.
"The guide divides the visitors into small groups."
From a book club to the symmetries of a crystal, a group has one unifying idea: things become meaningful through the relationships among them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does group come from?
Group entered English in the early 15th century through Old French groupe, from Italian gruppo, and ultimately from a Vulgar Latin form associated with a cluster or collection. Its deeper origin remains uncertain, although it is often connected with an Indo-European root associated with gripping or clustering. The related English words grip, gripe, and grope have likewise been linked to this proposed root.
Related word forms
How group is actually used
The word is generally neutral, although with people it can suggest formal organization, conformity, or exclusion from an in-group. As a verb, group is commonly transitive when classifying things, but it can also be used intransitively to describe people or objects coming together. There is no substantial British–US difference in the basic meanings.
Easily confused with group
A group is any collection or organization, whereas a troop is a military unit or a group of animals.
A group has no inherent performing function, while a troupe is a company of actors, dancers, or other performers.