grind away
phrasal verb
ground away; grinding away; grinds away
1
: to work or study in a steady, determined way
She was grinding away at her studies.
2
: to remove (a part of something) by rubbing something rough against it
He uses a special tool to grind away the stone.
Examples of grind away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Hurricanes seemed content to grind away at the Rebels in small chunks offensively, setting up CharMar Brown’s 4-yard touchdown run and a field goal.
—
Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes seemed content to grind away at the Rebels in small chunks offensively, setting up CharMar Brown’s four-yard touchdown run and a field goal.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes seemed content to grind away at the Rebels in small chunks offensively, setting up CharMar Brown’s 4-yard touchdown run and a field goal.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
The rumor mill was grinding away ahead of Metallica’s lone show in the Sunshine State.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 13 Nov. 2025
That overheated preseason hyperbole didn’t make it through the day-to-day challenges of a 162-game season that grinds away at even the most talented roster.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The training camp in Kazan was no picnic, living in spartan dorm rooms, eating bland food, no one speaking English, grinding away in the gym all day.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Our protagonist, Kinga, forty and single, grinds away at a corporate job.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Despite Ukraine’s stalwart defense, Russia has gained the upper hand on nearly every front, slowly grinding away the Ukrainian armed forces while hopes of a Russian economic collapse remain elusive.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2025
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Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes seemed content to grind away at the Rebels in small chunks offensively, setting up CharMar Brown’s four-yard touchdown run and a field goal.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes seemed content to grind away at the Rebels in small chunks offensively, setting up CharMar Brown’s 4-yard touchdown run and a field goal.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
The rumor mill was grinding away ahead of Metallica’s lone show in the Sunshine State.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 13 Nov. 2025
That overheated preseason hyperbole didn’t make it through the day-to-day challenges of a 162-game season that grinds away at even the most talented roster.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The training camp in Kazan was no picnic, living in spartan dorm rooms, eating bland food, no one speaking English, grinding away in the gym all day.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Our protagonist, Kinga, forty and single, grinds away at a corporate job.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Despite Ukraine’s stalwart defense, Russia has gained the upper hand on nearly every front, slowly grinding away the Ukrainian armed forces while hopes of a Russian economic collapse remain elusive.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grind away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grind%20away. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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