grain

noun

ˈgrān How to pronounce grain (audio)
Definition of grainnext
1
as in speck
a very small piece just give me a grain of information about what to expect on the program

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in temper
one's characteristic attitude or mood cheating, even on my income taxes, goes against my grain

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grain Such Black Sea shipping is especially crucial for Ukraine’s agricultural exports of grain, accounting for well over 90 percent. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026 Others contained iron, calcium, and silicon arranged in clusters of separate grains. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2026 In its early years, the house founder went against the grain and displayed the pieces in its store window vertically, rather than showcasing them flat in cases like its competitors. — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 But don’t expect farm animals or grain in the large barns—they’ve been repurposed for winemaking and storage. — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grain
  1. speck
  2. temper
  3. fleck
  4. temperament
  5. bit
  6. disposition
  7. particle
  8. attitude
Noun
  • The source was generally in good condition, but mold spots and dense clusters of small white specks required careful treatment.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Breakouts can look like milder, painless white bumps or dark specks known as whiteheads and blackheads, or more painful red bumps and deeper cysts — a mark of cystic acne.
    — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of speck
Noun
  • Employers are awaiting the court's ruling, in some cases hoping for guidance that helps temper future litigation.
    — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Ditka wasn’t immediately welcomed back to the Bears as a coach, with his temper a source of strain between him and the owners.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of temper
Noun
  • As few as 10 cells, hidden in an infinitesimal fleck of feces, can contaminate raw milk and trigger a fatal infection.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The oversized jacket featured a furry white base adorned with flecks of silver, which beautifully mirrored the sumptuous coats on the runway.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of fleck
Noun
  • Wanda, eighteen, has a temperament of supreme unflappability.
    — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Suzanne’s kind of rebellious temperament brought a lucidity to that character.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of temperament
Noun
  • Tomalak did a little bit of everything, fueling the offense as her team’s multidimensional quarterback and patrolling the secondary as a ball-hawking safety.
    — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Cutie from Saie is one of my favorites for a little bit of a deeper antiblush.
    — Lindy Segal, Glamour, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of bit
Noun
  • On Wednesday, his office did not respond to a request for comment on his disposition toward the measure.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The probe found no criminal wrongdoing, at which point Spitzer shifted to negotiating towards a civil disposition with GKN and announced the claims program.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of disposition
Noun
  • Highly energetic particles in the solar wind may also have reached the comet in sufficient numbers to heat its surface.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Avoid this by not touching the rash and keeping it covered, as the fluid inside the shingles blisters is what contains the infectious particles.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of particle
Noun
  • The system provides information about an aircraft’s attitude, heading and position to flight-critical systems.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The survey does not isolate young men or measure political attitudes.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of attitude

Phrases Containing grain

Browse Nearby Words

grails
grain
grained
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grain. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on grain

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grain

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All