Word.ws English Dictionary

in the groove

in the groove prepositional phrase: running or performing extremely smoothly.

Prepositional phrase

  1. (colloquial) Running or performing extremely smoothly.
  2. (slang) Playing perfectly, perfectly in sync with others, or with perfect focus.
    • The jazz musicians gave no grandstand performances; they simply got a great burn from playing in the groove.1933 Aug., Fortune, p. 90
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in, groove.
    • The whole course of legislation... had flowed in the same groove for centuries.1869, J.E.T. Rogers's preface to Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, Vol. I, p. 27
    • […] having such a wonderful time which puts me in a groove […]1932 Oct., Melody Maker, p. 836

Synonyms of in the groove

Origin of in the groove

Originally slang that first appeared in the mid-19th century with a (usually pejorative) reference to the difficulty of leaving a well-worn rut (see in a rut). As back in the groove, the phrase acquired a positive sense of returning to one's usual self after a period of illness, setbacks, etc. With special regard for music, originally US jazz slang from the 1920s, possibly with reference to the grooves of early records.

Questions about in the groove

What does in the groove mean?
In the groove means running or performing extremely smoothly.
What part of speech is in the groove?
In the groove is a prepositional phrase.

Words near in the groove in the dictionary

  1. in the green
  2. in the green tree
  3. in the green tree … in the dry
  4. in the grip of
  5. in the gristle
  6. in the groove
  7. in the gross
  8. in the ground
  9. in the hand
  10. in the hands of
  11. in the heat of the moment

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: in the groove (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.

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