Words / B1

gr-uh-FEET-ee/ɡrəˈfiːti/

Graffiti is words or pictures on public walls, usually without permission. UK news and exams treat it as uncountable: graffiti is / graffiti was cleaned. A graffito is rare. Street art can be commissioned and legal. Do not write “graffities”. Councils clean underpass graffiti before inspections.

Meaning

Words or pictures drawn on walls in public without permission (usually uncountable).

Examples

• “The underpass graffiti was cleaned before the inspection.”
• “Not all wall painting is graffiti — a mural can be commissioned.”

Good to know

Usually uncountable: graffiti is. Rare singular: a graffito. Legal twin: street art / a mural. Not “graffities”. Council clean-ups.

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