as in scraping
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in rubbing
to make smooth by friction
after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gritting
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 & Similar Words
3
as in sharpening
to make sharp or sharper
better grind down that ax before you even think about trying to cut down that tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in polishing
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
6
as in crushing
to reduce to fine particles
grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee
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 grinding
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
And that was one of the goals going into the game — just keep grinding the entire game.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2026
And lining the inside of the jaw were small grinding teeth called denticles.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
The stylus is then lowered for play, with the grinding sounds of the servo simultaneously silenced.
—New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
Lining the inside of the jaw were small grinding teeth called denticles.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2026
Russia remains mired in a grinding war of attrition in Ukraine.
—John Calabrese, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
Those declines reflect a long list of new questions facing the business world — from the cost of oil coming out of the Middle East and supply chain disruptions to consumer confidence and the grinding uncertainty.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Mar. 2026
But Ejiofor remained patient, grinding behind the scenes to prepare for his opportunity.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Trailblazers were grinding the whole second half, wearing down Harvard-Westlake players as the loud home fans cheered them on.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
And that was one of the goals going into the game — just keep grinding the entire game.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2026
And lining the inside of the jaw were small grinding teeth called denticles.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
The stylus is then lowered for play, with the grinding sounds of the servo simultaneously silenced.
—New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2026
Lining the inside of the jaw were small grinding teeth called denticles.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2026
Russia remains mired in a grinding war of attrition in Ukraine.
—John Calabrese, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
Those declines reflect a long list of new questions facing the business world — from the cost of oil coming out of the Middle East and supply chain disruptions to consumer confidence and the grinding uncertainty.
—Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Mar. 2026
But Ejiofor remained patient, grinding behind the scenes to prepare for his opportunity.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinding
Adjective
-
Recently, internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare likened the platform to North Korean hackers for bypassing anti-scraping protections on websites.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
To help protect the strength of the tree, remove limbs that are crossing or rubbing against each other.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Once inside, Salarzai molested the child, including touching his chest and rubbing his thigh.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The director, a graduate of the AFI conservatory, spent two summers growing up gritting his teeth at an all-boys sleepaway sports camp.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Dec. 2025
-
Bob Donnan / Imagn Images North Carolina and head coach Bill Belichick picked up a second straight ACC win on Saturday, gritting to a 20-15 victory over Stanford in Chapel Hill.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That is when boards start re-rating risks, lenders start sharpening pencils and capex slips down the priority list.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
-
In another timeline where none of Puerto Rico’s stars were absent from the tournament, Darell Hernaiz would be in Arizona, sharpening his skills in spring training with the Athletics.—
Maria Torres,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Remove all oil residue from the nail beds before polishing.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Harsh Chemicals and Abrasive Cleaners Avoid using harsh chemicals and abrasive cleaners when cleaning and polishing wood flooring.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Use natural cleaners like baking soda and vinegar to safely remove stains and grime without scratching the surface.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Counsell, Hottovy, team president Jed Hoyer and many others in the organization believe that Cabrera was just scratching the surface last season.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His win in Istanbul in 2019 represented a crushing blow to Erdogan, whose own political ascent began as the city’s mayor.—
Beril Akman,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
For too many New Yorkers, a single emergency can mean eviction or crushing debt.—
Tiffany Caban,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Use soft cleaning tools instead of abrasive ones that can scratch the surface and harbor bacteria and dirt.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Why Cleaning With Ashes Works Wood ashes have a high or alkaline pH and a mildly abrasive texture.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
