grind

verb

\ ˈgrīnd

ground\ ˈgrau̇nd

\; grinding

Definition of grind

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

3a : oppress, harass tyrants who grind their subjects

b : to weaken or destroy gradually —usually used with down poverty ground her spirit down

4a : 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

grind

noun

Definition of grind (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : an act of grinding

b : the sound of grinding

2a : 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 bump entry 1 sense 3

Other Words from grind Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about grind

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Synonyms for grind

Synonyms: Verb

buff, file, hone, rasp, rub, sand

Synonyms: Noun

creak, jar, rasp, scrape, scratch

Choose the Right Synonym for grind

Noun

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

Examples of grind in a Sentence

Verb

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.

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Pack the aluminum filter with freshly ground espresso. — Ryan D'agostino, Popular Mechanics, "The O.G. Stovetop Espresso Maker Is Still the Best," 5 Nov. 2018 Children and families from those countries have been fleeing grinding poverty, gang violence and some of the highest national homicide rates in the world. — Bob Ortega, CNN, "What it's like inside the former superstore in Texas where the US is holding 1,400 immigrant children," 14 June 2018 Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook 2 minutes. — The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Chicken Marsala," 12 Feb. 2018 Every driveway and parking lot entrance requires entering at a crazy diagonal angle so as not to grind the front splitter on the pavement. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "Five Very Important Questions About the 2019 Corvette ZR1," 6 Dec. 2018 Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox may be mulling a higher bid for the Sky satellite-TV service as the Comcast/Fox/Disney takeover battle grinds on. — Bob Fernandez, Philly.com, "Comcast faces Friday U.K. filing deadline for $31B Sky bid, Murdoch may counter," 10 July 2018 His lawyer, David Rudolf, is every bit his talkative match, combining a competitive drive with a very human sense of exhaustion and frustration as the case grinds on. — Maureen Ryan, New York Times, "‘The Staircase’ on Netflix Revisits a Genre-Defining Trial," 7 June 2018 Eastbound traffic will be detoured near Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery, along the south side of the cemetery as crews grind down pavement and repair the road surface. — Rosemarie Stein, OregonLive.com, "Portland Metro Tuesday Traffic: Nighttime road work on I-5 continues with ramps closed," 8 May 2018 Sykes says that Vinnie Paul handled most of the business for the band, even during the days of grinding through North Texas rock clubs, covering songs by Van Halen and Def Leppard but also playing a set of originals. — Robert Philpot, star-telegram, "Former Pantera tour manager shares memories of Vinnie Paul, Dimebag Darrell," 1 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Air travel can be quite the grind, with outdated terminals, underwhelming food at overwhelming prices, and ample opportunities to see people without shoes on. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "Inside the World’s Best Airport," 28 Mar. 2019 Meanwhile, grind granulated sugar and remaining tablespoon tea in a spice grinder until finely chopped, 15 to 30 seconds. — Kate Merker, Country Living, "Chamomile-Mascarpone Tart With Fresh Strawberries," 19 Mar. 2019 But the knockout round has been an unprecedented grind, with inferior opponents (on paper) taking them to extra time in all three games. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "France vs. Croatia: A First Look at Their World Cup Final Matchup," 11 July 2018 Mostly, Grodner and Cardamone capture how rock ’n’ roll is an unglamorous grind of creative fervor and commercial compromise, where the biggest plans are undone by the need to have flaky musicians execute them. — Noel Murray, latimes.com, "'The Icarus Line Must Die' maintains its punk rock cred," 21 June 2018 View this post on Instagram The grind never stops. . — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "J.Lo and Boyfriend A. Rod Working Out to J. Lo's Music Is My 2019 Fitness Goal," 3 Jan. 2019 For the most sought-after models in the industry, Fashion Week is a total grind. — Brooke Bobb, Vogue, "Watch Taylor Hill’s New York Fashion Week Experience, Which Included Pizza Delivery and a Backbend on the Runway," 19 Feb. 2019 The blender attachment is even powerful enough to chop ice and grind coffee beans. — Brittney Morgan, House Beautiful, "Your Tea Will Never Go Cold Again With This Smart Travel Mug," 11 Feb. 2019 The Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab tested how evenly food processors were able to dice onions, mince parsley, grind parmesan cheese, slice tomatoes, shred carrots and mozzarella, and knead dough. — Betty Gold, Good Housekeeping, "The 7 Best Food Processors to Buy, According to Kitchen Appliance Experts," 1 Feb. 2019

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.