grind

1 a harsh grating sound the grind of ice in the blender sent the cat running from the room Synonyms creak, rasp, jar, scrape, scratchRelated Words clang, clangor, clank, clash, jangle; scuff; croak, gargle; blast, bleat, bray, screech

2 a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits don't be such a grind—go out with your friends and enjoy yourself Synonyms bookworm, dink [slang], dork [slang], geek, nerd, swot [British], weenie, wonkRelated Words double-dome, egghead, highbrow, intellectual; brain, genius; academic, bookman, scholar; gearhead, techieNear Antonyms goldbrick, goof-off, slacker, underachiever; lowbrow

3 very hard or unpleasant work yard work is a real grind Synonyms donkeywork, drudge, drudgery, fatigue, toil, labor, moil, slavery, sweat, travailRelated Words spadework; effort, exertion, pains, struggle, trouble; chore, duty, job, obligation, responsibility; routine, tedium, treadmillNear Antonyms decompression, ease, leisure, relaxation, repose, rest; amusement, dalliance, diversion, entertainment, recreation, sport; dormancy, idleness, inactivity, inertia, inertness; dallying, goldbricking, loafing, lolling, loungingAntonyms fun, play

4 an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity the daily grind of a 50-mile commute was getting old Synonyms drill, routine, groove, lockstep, pattern, rote, rut, treadmillRelated Words daily dozen, regimen; housekeeping; custom, fashion, habit, practice (also practise), trick, wont; approach, manner, method, procedure, strategy, style, tack, technique, way; design, plan, program, scheme; convention, policy, tradition

1 to make smooth by friction after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry Synonyms buff, file, hone, rasp, rub, sand Related Words plane, scrape; sandblast, scour; burnish, dress, gloss, polish, shine, smooth; edge, hone, sharpen, strop, whet; regrind Near Antonyms coarsen, rough (up), roughen, scuff

2 to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound everyone in the car winced when the driver ground the gears trying to shift into second Synonyms crunch, gnash, grate, grit, scrape, scrunch Related Words creak, groan, moan, rasp, scratch, whine; clash, collide, jangle, jar

3 to make sharp or sharper better grind down that ax before you even think about trying to cut down that tree Synonyms edge, sharpen, hone, stone, strop, whetRelated Words fileNear Antonyms buff, burnish, gloss, polish, round, smoothAntonyms blunt, dull

4 to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure used the finest polishing paper he could to grind down the facets of the diamond before dusting it with a soft cloth Synonyms buff, burnish, dress, furbish, gloss, polish, rub, shine, smooth, smoothenRelated Words sleek, slick; coat, glaze, japan, lacquer, varnish; face, finish, veneer; brighten; file, rasp, sand, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, scrape, scrub; bob, bone, lapNear Antonyms rough (up), roughen, ruffle, scuff (up)

5 to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface ground the rock against the stone wall Synonyms grate, scrape, rasp, scratchRelated Words rub; groan, whineNear Antonyms glide, skate, slide

6 to reduce to fine particles grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee Synonyms atomize, beat, bray, comminute, crush, disintegrate, powder, mill, mull, pound, pulverizeRelated Words grate, kibble; crumble, crunch; break, bust, dash, fracture, fragment; shatter, smash, splinter; micronize