grind 1 of 2

1
as in scratch
a harsh grating sound the grind of ice in the blender sent the cat running from the room

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2
as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits don't be such a grind—go out with your friends and enjoy yourself

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grind

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry

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2
as in to grit
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound everyone in the car winced when the driver ground the gears trying to shift into second

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3
as in to sharpen
to make sharp or sharper better grind down that ax before you even think about trying to cut down that tree

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4
as in to polish
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure used the finest polishing paper he could to grind down the facets of the diamond before dusting it with a soft cloth

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5
as in to scratch
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface ground the rock against the stone wall

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun grind contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of grind are drudgery, labor, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When might drudgery be a better fit than grind?

In some situations, the words drudgery and grind are roughly equivalent. However, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When would labor be a good substitute for grind?

While the synonyms labor and grind are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When is toil a more appropriate choice than grind?

The words toil and grind are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When could travail be used to replace grind?

The synonyms travail and grind are sometimes interchangeable, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

In what contexts can work take the place of grind?

The meanings of work and grind largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grind
Noun
The ones lucky enough to make it to the U.S. face the daily grind of learning how to live again in a foreign culture. Christina Ray Stanton, New York Daily News, 20 June 2025 Watch Belle or Bree sweating over the books, firing staff, or otherwise struggling with the daily grind of running the family’s beloved business. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 19 June 2025
Verb
Ground meat, by contrast, is typically made up of lower-quality cuts from multiple animals, and grinding the meat into bits disperses those surface-dwelling bacteria throughout products such as a burger patty or sausage link. Amanda Heidt, Scientific American, 18 June 2025 Now, Israelis face yet another grinding, dangerous war of attrition, with no time limits and no clear end. Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for grind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grind
Noun
  • The ability to generate ideas from scratch, to truly go from nothing to something, is a skill.
    Christian Hyatt, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • The self-sustaining community makes everything from scratch, but must venture to the mainland occasionally for firewood and deer meat.
    Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • As a film nerd with a 37-inch vertical, Nique Clifford only borrows from the best.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 June 2025
  • Music supervisor is a job that is part professional music nerd, part aural detective and part crate-digging business affairs exec.
    Peter White, Deadline, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Separate efforts by the United Nations to distribute limited food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys.
    Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
  • Botswana is also investing in mitigation efforts by phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and promoting various energy efficiency measures.
    Kyle Roderick, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • By off-loading routine and repetitive tasks from processors, actuaries and agents, GenAI can create space for insurance professionals to develop innovative policy structures.
    Greg Pavlik, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
  • According to Yahoo News, investigators believe Coleen Campbell had kept others up to date about her ex-husband’s routine and his whereabouts leading up to the attack.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Spray each area of the body for at least six seconds from just a few inches away, and then rub it in.
    Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 16 June 2025
  • Just slice an onion and rub it along the grates using tongs.
    Cody Godwin, USA Today, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • However, Wuchang's visual appeal encouraged me to explore the surroundings rather than grit my teeth and push through the challenge.
    Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 11 June 2025
  • Lo-fi producers like Sleepy Fish and Aso balance that grit with warm, jazzy instrumentals perfect for relaxed studying or lowkey get-togethers.
    Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 9 June 2025
Verb
  • These days, premium hooks are made from a variety of composite metals and are sometimes sharpened with chemicals or lasers.
    Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
  • That means CEOs should be sharpening their public presence through media placements, social media channels and top-tier speaking slots.
    Rene Musech, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • Other procedures like polishing restorations, ceramic crowns, using elastics, orthodontic appliances, and so on can generate particles.
    Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • Most people think stand-up comics spend decades polishing their act to get good at telling jokes.
    Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Grind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grind. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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