Word.ws English Dictionary

gurrier

Syllables: gur·ri·er/ˈɡʌ.ɹɪ.ə/US/ˈɡə.ɹɪ.ɚ/

gurrier noun: a street urchin.

Noun

gurrier (plural gurriers)

  1. (dated) A street urchin.
    • Some weeks ago I was a victim of crime within 150 yards of the gates of Leinster House. I was approached or set upon by a little gurrier with a syringe. It is not a pleasant experience to have someone push a syringe against one's face at 12.30 a.m. on the streets of Dublin, particularly when one is...2002 January 31, Paul Bradford, “Private Members’ Business. – Crime Levels: Motion Resumed.”, in Dáil Éireann Debates (Houses of the Oireachtas), volume 547, archived from the original on 13 Sep...
  2. A loutish young man; a ruffian.
    • The Garda sergeant wanted to know the distinction between a Gouger and a Gurrier. Mr. Howard, who was a true-blue Dubliner, supplied the answer: "A Gurrier is a little man cut short, a mickey dazzler. He cuts a dash among the girls and is always willing and able to strike a blow for a pal. But our...1966, Seamus De Burca, The Irish Digest, volume 86, number 3, Dublin: Irish Digest, →OCLC, page 25
    • She said the gentleman in question was nothing but a gurrier. She went into details over his garb and his accent. He wore a blazer with brass buttons and his trousers were gray flannel. He was the sporting type. His accent she said had to be heard to be believed, likewise his impertinence. She...1970, Edna O’Brien, A Pagan Place: A Novel, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, →ISBN; republished New York, N.Y.: Mariner Books, 2001, →ISBN, page 121

Examples of gurrier in a sentence

  • I was approached or set upon by a little gurrier with a syringe.2002 January 31, Paul Bradford, “Private Members’ Business. – Crime Levels: Motion Resumed.”, in Dáil Éireann Debates (Houses of the...
  • The Garda sergeant wanted to know the distinction between a Gouger and a Gurrier.1966, Seamus De Burca, The Irish Digest, volume 86, number 3, Dublin: Irish Digest, →OCLC, page 25:
  • She said the gentleman in question was nothing but a gurrier.1970, Edna O’Brien, A Pagan Place: A Novel, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, →ISBN; republished New York, N.Y.: Mariner Books, 2001, →ISBN...
  • People from other parts of Ireland refer to Dubliners as Jackeens or Gurriers.1983, Benedict Kiely, compiler, Dublin (Small Oxford Books), Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 3:

Synonyms of gurrier

Forms of gurrier

pluralgurriers

Origin of gurrier

Uncertain; the following possible etymologies have been suggested: * From Scottish English gurry (“a brawl; to dispute; to growl, grumble”) + -er (agent noun suffix). * From French guerrier (“warrior”), in which case it would be a doublet of warrior.

Words that rhyme with gurrier

Questions about gurrier

What does gurrier mean?
Gurrier means a street urchin.
How do you use gurrier in a sentence?
I was approached or set upon by a little gurrier with a syringe.
What part of speech is gurrier?
Gurrier is a noun.
How do you pronounce gurrier?
Gurrier is pronounced /ˈɡʌ.ɹɪ.ə/ (UK).
What is the plural of gurrier?
The plural of gurrier is gurriers.

Words near gurrier in the dictionary

  1. gurrahs
  2. Gurramkonda
  3. Gurranang
  4. gurree
  5. gurrees
  6. gurrier
  7. gurriers
  8. gurries
  9. gurrnki
  10. gurrnkis
  11. Gurrola

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: gurrier (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-gurrier.wav.

Cite this entry: “gurrier.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/gurrier. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.