broadly: tough cartilaginous, tendinous, or fibrous matter especially in table meats
Examples of gristle in a Sentence
a cheap piece of meat, full of gristle and fat
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The cub felt like gristle, taut, like a spasmed muscle in my arms.—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026 His review begins with Giuseppe Garibaldi, on the beach at Marsala, bootsoles in the saltwhite shallows, wind in his beard gristle.—Sam Kriss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 But the soul of the tour, its gristle and fiber, is that mass of players who grind it out from week to week, fighting to make the cut and aiming for that occasional great round or successful tournament as the impetus that keeps them going.—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 22 Feb. 2026 David Berding / Getty Images MINNEAPOLIS — The memory sits in the back of Jaden McDaniels’ brain, stuck there like some chicken gristle in his teeth from his favorite plate of fettuccine alfredo.—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gristle
Word History
Etymology
Middle English gristil, from Old English gristle; akin to Middle Low German gristel gristle
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of gristle was
before the 12th century