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

Too large a starting number, and cheaters would quickly appear in every cell, which would gradually grind to a halt. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "New system shows the earliest life could cooperate despite “cheaters”," 3 Sep. 2018 Mbemba is currently contracted with Newcastle until 2020, with Porto expected to meet the Magpies asking price, something Anderlecht weren't prepared to do, hence the deal grinding to a halt with the Belgians. — SI.com, "Porto Target Newcastle Outcast With a Deal Expected to Be Completed in Coming Days," 12 June 2018 The Liverpool forward -- part of a fearsome front line alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino -- expects Bambali to grind to a halt as the 2,000 inhabitants all stop to watch him play in the European showpiece. — Afp, chicagotribune.com, "Mane sends 300 Liverpool jerseys to home village in Senegal," 25 May 2018 This month also marks the 50th anniversary of the May 1968 civil unrest when millions poured onto the streets in demonstrations and strikes that ground France to a halt. — Laignee Barron, Time, "200 Arrested in Paris After Rioters Hijacked a Peaceful May Day Rally," 3 May 2018 Several attorneys say the claims adjusting process often grinds to a halt when People’s Trust learns a policyholder has an attorney. — Ron Hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Why does People's Trust Insurance keep suing its own policyholders?," 27 Apr. 2018 To be sure, many investors believe that the bull market will continue to grind higher throughout 2019. — Akane Otani, WSJ, "The Market’s Latest Problem: Hesitation to Buy the Dip," 9 Dec. 2018 Snow mazes are fun—as long as you’re not being chased through one by a madman with an axe to grind. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "The 28 Best Halloween Movies on Netflix," 11 Oct. 2018 Entire gameplay systems were redesigned and rebalanced, and there was now plenty of content for hardcore loot fiends to grind through. — Aaron Zimmerman, Ars Technica, "Destiny 2: Forsaken review: Hallelujah, Destiny’s back," 19 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Markle and Prince Harry were back on their joint royal outing grind, and Markle's hair had made its triumphant return to her now-famous low, slightly undone bun. — Andrea Park, Glamour, "Meghan Markle Brought Back Her Wedding Hair For Her First Trip to Sussex," 3 Oct. 2018 Hurricane Florence is going to continue its violent grind across our state for days. — Fox News, "Florence downgraded to tropical storm after first deaths reported in North Carolina," 14 Sep. 2018 Like Pancakes, the Baltimore-via-Towson brass-rock band, has been on an independent grind for years, self-booking tours around the country and crowd-funding their albums through online campaigns. — Wesley Case, baltimoresun.com, "The 10 Baltimore-area concerts we're most looking forward to this spring and summer," 22 Mar. 2018 Next step for self-care within the 9-to-5 grind at 1 World Trade Center: crystal eye masks and powwows with Jimmy Fallon on the phone. — Vogue, "Comedian Ken Jeong Interns in Vogue’s Beauty Closet, Discovers the Power of Sheet Masks," 18 Dec. 2018 In a nutshell, humans and machines become partners rather than competitors because designers don’t want to be engineers, and engineers don’t want to get lost in the production grind. — Pam Baker, Ars Technica, "Artificial Intelligence and the coming of the self-designing machine," 6 Dec. 2018 Eventually, the intense grind caused Jeremy to experience burnout. — Ariana Marsh, Teen Vogue, "How iPad Artist Jeremy Martin Is Making Waves in the Fashion Industry," 26 Nov. 2018 Today Dan and Adam are hopping back into the sweet Destiny 2 grind -- playing on a Maingear F131 equipped with an Intel Core i9 7980xe and dual Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti's! — Adam Patrick Murray, PCWorld, "PCWorld is streaming Destiny 2: Forsaken on Twitch!," 10 Sep. 2018 Sometimes, the minor league pitcher has had enough, like Adam Cimber, who became exasperated with the grind in 2017. — Ray Glier, USA TODAY, "Ups and downs of minor league bullpens," 5 July 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.