gruel /ˈɡɹuːəl/noun 5verb 3forms 5 noun5 •A thin, watery porridge, formerly eaten primarily by the poor and the ill.[…]her own cook at South End, a young woman hired for the time, who never had been able to understand what she meant by a basin of nice smooth gruel, thin, but not too thin. — 1816 •Something that lacks substance. •(UK, slang) Semen. •Punishment. •(slang, no longer used) Sentimental poetry. verb3 •To exhaust, use up, disable. •To punish. •(UK, slang) Ejaculate. formsgrueled · gruelled · grueling · gruelling · gruels