grit

1 of 2

noun

ˈgrit 

1

a

: sand, gravel

b

: a hard sharp granule (as of sand)

also : material (as many abrasives) composed of such granules

2

: any of several sandstones

3

a

: 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

2 of 2

verb

gritted; gritting

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

Synonyms

Noun

• courage
• grittiness
• fortitude
• bravery
• stamina
• spunk
• determination
• courageousness

Verb

• scrape
• scratch
• grind

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

This formula strikes the perfect balance between grit and hydration—natural sea salt boosts volume and definition, while moringa seed oil helps lock in moisture and adds a healthy sheen to curls and waves. —Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 30 June 2025

Fatigue is reframed as grit, while emotional exhaustion is labeled as discipline, and recovery is viewed as optional. —Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

Verb

Perhaps our best hope right now might be to grit our teeth about AGI as a north star, push the AI community to realize the dangers and pitfalls therein, and do our darnedest to overcome the downsides. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025

From bouncing back in elimination games to stringing together dominant wins in the state semifinal, Aledo has played with urgency, intensity, and grit through five series victories. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English greet, grete, going back to Old English grēot, going back to Germanic *greuta- "broken bits of stone, sand, gravel," (whence also Old Saxon griot "sand, gravel," Middle Dutch griet "coarse sand, grit," Old High German grioz, Old Icelandic grjót "gravel, pebbles"), noun derivative of *greutan- "to grind, crush" (whence Old High German gegrozan "coarse-grained," past participle of a presumed strong verb griozan "to crush"), going back to dialectal Indo-European *g^hreu̯dH-e/o-, whence, from zero grade, Lithuanian grū́džiu/grū́du, grū́sti "to crush, pulverize"; and from a nominal derivative with o-grade Russian grúda "heap, pile," Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian grȕda "lump, clod"

Note: The form grit (rarely grite) is first attested from the late sixteenth century, alongside the forms greet, greete and griet, which by the nineteenth century are considered dialectal. While the latter clearly continue the Middle and Old English etymon, the source of grit is uncertain, as Middle English ẹ̄ should not result in short i. It has been suggested, as by the Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, that short i has been taken from the vowel of grit in grits. — The Germanic verb is unattested outside of Old High German. The Indo-European base *g^hreu̯dH-e/o- has no solidly comparable progeny outside of Germanic and Balto-Slavic. Compare also grits, groats, grout entry 1.

Verb

derivative of grit entry 1, with some senses probably in part phonesthemic and in part influenced by grate entry 3

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1762, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing grit

• grit one's teeth

Rhymes for grit

• bit
• brit
• britt
• chit
• fit
• flit
• hit
• it
• kitt
• knit
• lit
• mitt

Kids Definition

grit

1 of 2 noun

ˈgrit 

1

a

: a small hard sharp particle (as of sand)

b

: material (as an abrasive) composed of grits

2

: firmness of mind or spirit : unyielding courage

gritty

ˈgrit-ē

adjective

grit

2 of 2 verb

gritted; gritting

: to grind or cause to grind : grate

grit one's teeth

Legal Definition

GRIT

abbreviation

grantor retained income trust