grist

noun

ˈgrist 

1

a

: grain or a batch of grain for grinding

b

: the product obtained from a grist of grain including the flour or meal and the grain offals

2

: a required or usual amount

3

: matter of interest or value forming the basis of a story or analysis

4

: something turned to advantage or use

—used especially in the phrase grist for one's mill

Examples of grist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The museum’s exhibits tell the story of the grist mill, town, and railroad. —Tykesha Spivey Burton, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025

Rolling through the property, Kennedy points out a dip in the Duck River where an old grist mill used to operate, which became the farm's namesake. —Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025

On the slopes of the White Mountains, perched above the Ammonoosuc River, occupying a 19th-century grist mill, Schilling Beer is impossibly picturesque. —Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025

This data turns us all into numerical grist for the mathematical mill, allowing the powers that be to predict, optimize, and profit with unprecedented scale and success. —Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English grīst; akin to Old English grindan to grind

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing grist

• grist for one's/the mill
• grist to one's/the mill

Rhymes for grist

• cist
• cyst
• fist
• gist
• hissed
• kissed
• kist
• list
• missed
• mist
• schist
• tryst

Kids Definition

grist

noun

ˈgrist 

: grain to be ground or already ground