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 grit and guile

5

Grit : a Liberal in Canadian politics

grit

2 of 2

verb

gritted; gritting

transitive verb

1

: to cause (one's teeth) to grind or grate

gritted his teeth in pain/anger/determination

—sometimes used figuratively

To be the best you have to grit your teeth and keep working at it.

2

: to cover or spread with grit

especially : to smooth (a material, such as marble) with a coarse abrasive

intransitive verb

: to give forth a grating sound

dry snow gritting beneath our feet

Synonyms of grit

Noun

• courage
• fortitude
• bravery
• stamina
• spunk
• grittiness
• 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

Their journey spans icy fjords, Byzantine intrigue, and the fabled Silk Road, blending Viking grit with ancient Chinese wisdom, unexpected alliances, and a touch of magic. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025

Liv is a really great example of somebody that hasn’t given up, has a lot of grit, doesn’t take no for an answer. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025

Verb

The Buccaneers quarterback has been showcasing some toughness and grit through his own injury scares, and also leading the team to gutsy fourth-quarter comebacks. —James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025

The Carolina Panthers gritted out a 13-6 win over the New York Jets on the road thanks to a two-interception day from Jaycee Horn, a turnover-free performance from the offense and a close-to-flawless day on special teams. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 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
• grit your 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