as in to grind
to reduce to fine particles
eons of incessant pounding by the waves have comminuted the once-rocky shoreline into a bed of fine-grained sand
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of comminute
The report of displacement (out of alignment) is not as worrisome as if the fracture was comminuted (pieces).
—
Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 5 Nov. 2017
Also, this prognosis is rooted in my hopefulness the fracture is not comminuted (in multiple pieces), as that might prolong the timeline by a couple of weeks.
—Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 Oct. 2017
Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 5 Nov. 2017
Also, this prognosis is rooted in my hopefulness the fracture is not comminuted (in multiple pieces), as that might prolong the timeline by a couple of weeks.
—Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comminute
Verb
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The nation’s court system has been ground zero for pushback to President Donald Trump’s sweeping conservative agenda, with about 200 lawsuits filed challenging policies on everything from immigration to education to mass layoffs of federal workers.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2025
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While the Bruins took care of some key business in the hiring of new head coach Marco Sturm, the team’s scouting and management staffs have been been grinding through some planning for the future that is just as vital as the next coach.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Such pollutants accumulate on the ocean’s surface near the Tijuana River, and then are released as wave action pounds the water and forms bubbles that burst.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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After the car came to a stop, the video showed, angry Liverpool fans swarmed it again, pounding on its windows and exterior as police rushed to secure the scene.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Ulta Beauty — The beauty retailer’s shares rallied 9% after the firm raised its annual profit forecast and crushed expectations with its quarterly results.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
30 May 2025
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After collapsing under the weight of 130 points in a crushing Game 4 loss, Tom Thibodeau’s squad regrouped and unleashed an inspired performance at that end of the court to fend off elimination.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Pallets of jurema bark, powdered and shredded, in a storage room at one of Akasha Song’s production facilities.—
Andy Greenberg,
Wired News,
22 May 2025
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Makeup patted him down—he’d worked up a coat of sweat during the setup—and powdered him up; the costumer threw his shirt on him.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The men beat 27-year-old Chin with a baseball bat, cracking his skull.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
31 May 2025
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The Padres beat Keller in early May in Pittsburgh, scoring five runs — four earned — in five innings.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Representatives of the property management company milled a block away holding drills.—
Liam Dillon,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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Everything is freshly made and ingredients impeccably sourced; the wheat for the noodles is even grown and milled right outside the city.—
Eleanor Aldridge,
AFAR Media,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Matcha is traditionally grown in the shade—which allows the plant to develop more antioxidant-rich and amino-rich compounds—and then pulverized and mixed with water instead of steeped.—
Christina Pérez,
Vogue,
27 May 2025
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Heavy excavation machines bash giant concrete blocks into more manageable chunks, before grinders pulverize the material into 1- to 3-inch rocks, which can be recycled.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Guinness noted that the actor had to jump out of a helicopter from a minimum height of 7,500 feet — sometimes while wearing a 50-pound camera rig — and that the parachute could only burn for about three seconds before completely disintegrating, forcing Cruise to deploy a backup chute.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
5 June 2025
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Instead the vehicle spun out of control and disintegrated during atmospheric reentry.—
Gayoung Lee,
Scientific American,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Comminute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comminute. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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