grit

noun

\ ˈgrit

Definition of grit

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : sand, gravel

b : a hard sharp granule (as of sand) also : material (as many abrasives) composed of such granules

2 : any of several sandstones

3a : the structure of a stone that adapts it to grinding

b : the size of abrasive particles usually expressed as their mesh

4 : firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger managed to survive by his grit and guile

5 capitalized : a Liberal in Canadian politics

grit

verb

gritted; gritting

Definition of grit (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to give forth a grating sound dry snow gritting beneath our feet

transitive verb

1 : to cause (one's teeth) to grind or grate gritted his teeth and faced the challenge

2 : to cover or spread with grit especially : to smooth (a material, such as marble) with a coarse abrasive

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Examples of grit in a Sentence

Noun

He shook out his shoes to remove the small rocks and grit. Through resourcefulness and grit, the pioneers survived the winter.

Verb

the crash victim gritted his teeth as a way of coping with the pain

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But Johnny Rzeznik’s voice has just enough grit and grain in it to anchor the song and keep it from going the Full Diane Warren. — Ashley Naftule, azcentral, "Train took a victory lap in hit-filled Phoenix show but Goo Goo Dolls brought better songs," 13 June 2019 But through Chase’s personal grit, and with the help of family, friends, and public fundraisers, the art was rescued and the dining room and kitchens were restored. — Jessica B. Harris, The Atlantic, "The Woman Who Brought Culinary Capital to New Orleans," 4 June 2019 In Whitehead’s hands the runaway’s all-American story—grit, struggle, reward—becomes instead a grim Voltairean odyssey, a subterranean journey through the uncharted epochs of unfreedom. — The New York Review of Books, "Julian Lucas," 21 Feb. 2019 The 6-foot-5 guard has a playground grit about his game that is good for a team that can fall into the trap of being a finesse team of long-range jump shooters. — Terry Pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers: Looking at Isaiah-Kyrie deal, loving Jordan Clarkson -- Terry Pluto," 1 Apr. 2018 Small plates include grits (regular and cheese), hash browns, breakfast meats, and Demetri’s beloved biscuits. — Eric Velasco, al.com, "Learn the decades-old secrets of this Homewood barbecue joint," 24 June 2019 The lamb barbacoa was too salty, but the cheesy grits were creamy and the little cup of banana pudding was sweet. — Michael Russell, oregonlive.com, "With Holy Trinity, Portland now boasts a quartet of great Portland barbecue carts," 21 June 2019 This workmanlike quality lends the fights a certain grit, a punishing realism, that’s absent when a martial artist goes to work, and Wick’s progress evokes at times the doggedness of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, another hardworking action hero. — Ross Douthat, National Review, "Keanu Reeves’ Dance with Death in John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum," 20 June 2019 Originating in Montana, the Missouri was laden with fine grit, a byproduct of the slow erosion of the Rocky Mountains. — Tristan Baurick, nola.com, "Dredging, dams and other river controls starve places downriver of much-needed sediment," 15 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

One wonders how much of that time Charles must have spent gritting his teeth. — Eugene Robinson, The Mercury News, "Robinson: Only an ignoramus would sound like Trump," 9 June 2019 Switzerland had played so well in the build up to the World Cup by gritting out these types of games. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "Switzerland Holds Brazil to a 1-1 Draw," 17 June 2018 Immelt gritted his teeth at the name of Caroline Frawley, head of the Fed teams that patrolled the unit that spun out nearly half of GE’s profits. — Thomas Gryta And Ted Mann, WSJ, "GE Powered the American Century—Then It Burned Out," 14 Dec. 2018 What better way to express that feeling than through images of people gritting their teeth and forging toward their polling place? — Aja Romano, Vox, "The memes of the 2018 midterm elections reflect a feeling of urgency and determination," 6 Nov. 2018 Gone are the days of gritting your teeth through gritty soy lattes to avoid the gastrointestinal effects of lactose and dairy fat; a new, smoother, tastier league of mylks has arrived to appease dairy haters of every ilk. — Marian Bull, GQ, "The Best Non-Dairy Milks for Every Occasion," 12 June 2018 In response, many Russians will be gritting their teeth — and putting on their happy faces. — Samuel Putnam, Washington Post, "Russians don’t smile much, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like you," 30 June 2018 Myers tried to impress with his new team, gritting through an ailing wrist. — Tom Krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, "With big salaries coming, Wil Myers getting on track would be big for Padres," 20 June 2018 With teeth gritted, Axe comes this close to taking Frotty Anisman’s money, and selling off a piece of Axe Capital. — refinery29.com, "Billions Season 3, Episode 10 Recap: "Texas Roadkill Chili"," 28 May 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near grit

gristmill

grist to one's/the mill

Statistics for grit

Last Updated

12 Jul 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for grit

The first known use of grit was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for grit

grit

noun

English Language Learners Definition of grit

: very small pieces of sand or stone

informal : mental toughness and courage

See the full definition for grit in the English Language Learners Dictionary

grit

noun

\ ˈgrit

Kids Definition of grit

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : rough hard bits especially of sand

2 : strength of mind or spirit He had never learned to run properly, but … no one had more grit than he.— Katherine Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia