grind

verb \ ˈgrīnd \

Definition of grind

ground play \ˈgrau̇nd\; grinding

transitive verb

1 :to reduce to powder or small fragments by friction (as in a mill or with the teeth)

grind the coffee beans

2 :to wear down, polish, or sharpen by friction

grind an ax

3 a :oppress, harass

tyrants who grind their subjects

b :to weaken or destroy gradually —usually used with down

poverty ground her spirit down

4 a :to press together with a rotating motion

grind the teeth

b :to rub or press harshly

ground the cigarette out

5 :to operate or produce by turning a crank

grind a hand organ

intransitive verb

1 :to perform the operation of grinding

2 :to become pulverized, polished, or sharpened by friction

3 :to move with difficulty or friction especially so as to make a grating noise

gears grinding

4 :drudge; especially :to study hard

grind for an exam

5 :to rotate the hips in an erotic manner

—

grindingly

play \ˈgrīn-diŋ-lē\ adverb

See grind defined for English-language learners

See grind defined for kids

Examples of grind in a Sentence

The corn is ground into meal.
The steel grinds to a sharp edge.
She kept grinding the car's gears.
He grinds his teeth in his sleep.
I could hear the gears grinding.

Recent Examples of grind from the Web

Add paprika, crushed red pepper and salt, and grind into a powder.

— daniel neman, The Seattle Times, "Got 3 meats? Now you have 12 meals.," 22 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile, cook 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper in butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.

— marian cooper cairns, Country Living, "Chicken and Arugula Cacio e Pepe," 9 Aug. 2017
There’s an explanation: Pepper Nitro with a Jerky Twist takes freshly ground Congo coffee, slow-steeped as cold brew and served on draft through a nitro tap, then infused with a sweet and savory malted fennel black pepper syrup.

— tess koman, Cosmopolitan, "Move Over, Unicorn Frap: Starbucks Is Serving Beef Jerky-Topped Coffee Now," 31 July 2017
Much like Ed Sheeran's cameo in Game of Thrones, having a pop star casually show up in a film will inevitably remove the audience from the narrative and ground them back in reality.

— mehera bonner, Marie Claire, "I Think 'Dunkirk' Was Mediocre at Best, and It's Not Because I'm Some Naive Woman Who Doesn't Get It," 28 July 2017
The fear is that courts will soon get clogged with patent lawsuits and innovation grinds to a halt.

— chuck tannert, Popular Mechanics, "Will the Patent Wars Kill the Self-Driving Car?," 26 July 2017
The roots can be ground into flour, or cooked like potatoes.

— dennis pillion | dpillion@al.com, AL.com, "What do kudzu and coal have in common: 17 nuggets about the South's most invasive plant," 19 July 2017
More wagon trains topped off their food stocks here; tribes came from next door, their women relieved of at least one numbing labor — grinding corn.

— darryl levings, kansascity, "How KC’s Watts Mill became a mill — and a fiddler’s paradise," 18 July 2017
Many believe that ongoing stress during early childhood — from grinding poverty, neglect, parents’ substance abuse and other adversity — can smolder beneath the skin, harming kids’ brains and other body systems.

— Washington Post, "How severe, ongoing stress can affect a child’s brain," 12 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grind.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of grind

Middle English, from Old English grindan; akin to Latin frendere to crush, grind

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

grind Synonyms

Synonyms

buff, file, hone, rasp, rub, sand

Antonyms

blunt, dull

Related Words

plane, scrape; sandblast, scour; burnish, dress, gloss, polish, shine, smooth; edge, hone, sharpen, strop, whet; regrind

Near Antonyms

coarsen, rough (up), roughen, scuff

grind

noun

Definition of grind

1 a :an act of grinding

b :the sound of grinding

2 a :dreary, monotonous, or difficult labor, study, or routine

the dull grind of office work

b :one who works or studies excessively

a grind who never goes to parties

3 :the result of grinding; also :material ground to a particular degree of fineness

a drip grind of coffee

4 :the act of rotating the hips in an erotic manner

See grind defined for English-language learners

Examples of grind in a Sentence

I need a break from the daily grind.
the dull grind of office work

Recent Examples of grind from the Web

Despite being related to rodeo royalty, the grind of the rodeo circuit is no different for Bo.

— rachel roberts, idahostatesman, "Hall of Famer Dee Pickett told nephew not to rodeo. He didn’t listen.," 18 Aug. 2017
The season is long, and the grind is exhausting, and players find ways to cope and survive.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "‘Gotta have heart:’ The inside story of the Royals’ new hand gestures," 17 Aug. 2017
Add the anchovies, garlic, capers, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

— kathleen purvis, The Seattle Times, "This is my favorite recipe of the summer (so far)," 15 Aug. 2017
Coarsely grind in spice mill or with mortar and pestle; transfer to a medium bowl.

— andy baraghani, Bon Appetit, "Spicy Marinated Vegetables and Sardines on Toast," 15 Aug. 2017
In the meantime, Hilary's doing her best to enjoy her time away from the grind.

— suzannah weiss, Teen Vogue, "Thieves Steal Over $100,000 Dollars of Jewelry from Hilary Duff's Home," 23 July 2017
By the time Valerian is actually in production, making the film is something of a grind.

— adam rogers, WIRED, "Luc Besson Tests the Outer Limits With Sci-Fi Epic Valerian," 6 July 2017
That’s why Frank Stitt adds only salt and pepper to his grind of chuck shoulder for the burger at Chez Fonfon.

— AL.com, "12 essential Birmingham burgers," 20 June 2017
The tournament's first game is always a massive one for each team, as the road through the losers bracket back toward the championship series is a long, tiring grind.

— gentry estes, The Courier-Journal, "College World Series Live Updates | Louisville-Texas A&M," 18 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of grind

see ¹grind

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

grind Synonyms

Synonyms

creak, rasp, jar, scrape, scratch

Antonyms

fun, play

Related Words

clang, clangor, clank, clash, jangle; scuff; croak, gargle; blast, bleat, bray, screech

Near Antonyms

goldbrick, goof-off, slacker, underachiever; lowbrow

Synonym Discussion of grind

work, labor, travail, toil, drudgery, grind mean activity involving effort or exertion. work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

- too tired to do any work

labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

- farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

- years of travail were lost when the house burned

toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

- his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

- an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

- the grind of the assembly line

Other Dance Terms

attitude, honor, saltatory, sashay, taw

GRIND Defined for English Language Learners

grind

verb

Definition of grind for English Language Learners

: to crush or break (something) into very small pieces by rubbing it against a rough surface or using a special machine
: to cut (meat) into small pieces by putting it through a special machine
: to make (something) sharp or smooth by rubbing it against a hard surface

grind

noun

Definition of grind for English Language Learners

: boring or difficult work
: a person who works or studies too much
—used to describe the size of the pieces of something that has been ground

GRIND Defined for Kids

grind

verb \ ˈgrīnd \

Definition of grind for Students

ground \ˈgrau̇nd\; grinding

1 :to make or be made into powder or small pieces by rubbing

The mill grinds wheat into flour.

2 :to wear down, polish, or sharpen by friction

grind an ax

3 :to rub together with a scraping noise

grind the teeth

4 :to operate or produce by or as if by turning a crank

grind

noun

Definition of grind for Students

1 :an act of sharpening or reducing to powder

2 :steady hard work

the daily grind

Medical Dictionary

grind

transitive verb \ ˈgrīnd \

medical Definition of grind

ground play \ˈgrau̇nd\; grinding

1 :to reduce to powder or small fragments by friction (as with the teeth)

2 :to press together and move with a rotating or back-and-forth motion — see bruxism

Learn More about grind

See words that rhyme with grind Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for grind Spanish Central: Translation of grind Nglish: Translation of grind for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of grind for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up grind? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

grind

Definition of grind

grindingly

From the M-W Editors

Examples of grind in a Sentence

Recent Examples of grind from the Web

Origin and Etymology of grind

grind Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

grind

Definition of grind

Examples of grind in a Sentence

Recent Examples of grind from the Web

Origin and Etymology of grind

grind Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of grind

Other Dance Terms

GRIND Defined for English Language Learners

grind

Definition of grind for English Language Learners

grind

Definition of grind for English Language Learners

GRIND Defined for Kids

grind

Definition of grind for Students

grind

Definition of grind for Students

Medical Dictionary

grind

medical Definition of grind

Learn More about grind

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066