grind

verb \ ˈgrīnd \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

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Examples: grind in a Sentence

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

In a large bowl, mix together ground sirloin, ground chuck, Worcestershire sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce, Montreal steak seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and mustard.

— daniel higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Burgers with pizzazz: Surf 'n' turf burger judged best in annual BBQ contest," 18 June 2018
Greatness in sport, as in art, often comes from unseen, grinding effort.

— The Economist, "When drama and beauty turn the World Cup into art," 7 June 2018
From inside Javier Arango’s ground-level apartment in North Oakland, the muffled roar of traffic from the nearby freeway is constant.

— Cincinnati.com, "Aftermath: 'You're going back to East Oakland'," 4 June 2018
Behind the Babchenko saga, however, a more mundane but grinding campaign is going on against journalists, media critics say.

— fred weir, The Christian Science Monitor, "As world watches 'murdered' reporter case, Ukraine media crackdown grinds on," 30 May 2018
The bratwurst is made of finely ground veal and pork, distinguished by its firm texture and punch of white pepper.

— michael bauer, San Francisco Chronicle, "Wursthall in San Mateo at its best with beer & brat," 18 May 2018
Bleier is more confident living in the strike zone because hitters seem to either swing through the ball or make weak contact and bang his sinker into the ground, as evidenced by his 62 percent ground ball rate.

— jon meoli, baltimoresun.com, "With every Orioles win, reliever Richard Bleier shows he's more than just a statistical oddity," 10 May 2018
But ground-level ozone is a pollutant, formed primarily from reactions between two major classes of air pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "Metro Detroit, other Michigan cities violating tighter ozone rules," 1 May 2018
Federal safety inspectors say an air filter blew off a corn grinding device shortly before a deadly explosion demolished the southern Wisconsin corn mill last summer.

— Washington Post, "Flames shot out of grinder before Wisconsin plant explosion," 30 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

grind Synonyms

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 : an action of rotating the hips in an erotic manner (as in a dance or in a burlesque striptease act) — compare ¹bump 3

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

There will be a dedicated skating area with ramps and grind bars, music, a sale on skate shoes and more.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Coming up: Super Saturated Sugar Strings and Medium Build, a vaudeville variety show and a dance party that’s magic," 24 May 2018
This burr grinder has a 40-setting grind size selector, an on-off switch for continuous grinding, and a push-button for manual control.

— reviewed staff, USA TODAY, "The best coffee makers of 2018," 8 May 2018
The endless grind of hauling tiny humans who require twice their weight in gear is why many parents eventually resort to buying cars.

— alissa walker, Curbed, "Scooters could solve a big urban mobility issue—if startups listen," 3 May 2018
But yeah, definitely takes away a little bit from the full-time YouTube grind.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, a.k.a. MKBHD, on Recode Media," 16 Apr. 2018
Last Friday, there was no need for speed, with a grind-out 92-91 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Heat going with the flow as offense reaches new heights," 22 Mar. 2018
After forcing an Eagles punt, the Pats were on their way to a grind-out-the-clock win when the fates intervened, and Eagles safety Malcom Jennings forced a strip fumble of New England running back Dion Lewis.

— charles curtis, For The Win, "The 'Madden 18' Super Bowl simulation predicts a super-thrilling game," 29 Jan. 2018
Their schedule was an unladylike grind of 115 games from May to September.

— andrea modica, Smithsonian, "Seventy-Five Years Ago, Women’s Baseball Players Took the Field," 23 May 2018
Perhaps the grind of an NBA regular season took a toll, but on a few occasions his energy and aggressiveness could’ve been a bit better.

— josh robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Khem Birch: 2017-18 Magic season review," 3 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of grind

see ¹grind

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

grind Synonyms

Synonyms

drudgery, labor, slavery, sweat, toil, travail;

Antonyms

fun, play;

Near Antonyms

decompression, ease, leisure, relaxation, repose, rest;

amusement, dalliance, diversion, entertainment, recreation, sport;

dormancy, idleness, inactivity, inertia, inertness;

dallying, goldbricking, loafing, lolling, lounging;

Related Words

spadework;

effort, exertion, pains, struggle, trouble;

chore, duty, job, obligation, responsibility;

routine, tedium, treadmill;

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

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grind

Definition of grind

grindingly

Examples of grind in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of grind

grind Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Related Words

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

Near Antonyms

Related Words

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

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