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
Relevance
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
as in scraping
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grinding
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Miley Cyrus shocked viewers by stripping down to a nude bikini top and briefs and grinding, twerking and thrusting on fellow performer Robin Thicke at the 2013 show in one of the raciest performances in MTV history.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Dude kept grinding — and listening — while Shedeur took the Big 12 by storm.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
That’s all 272 regular season games from last night’s grinding 24-20 win by current champions the Philadelphia Eagles over the Dallas Cowboys to January 4, 2026, and then up to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California’s Levi’s Stadium.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Instead, the army became bogged down in a grinding war of attrition, and the West was stunned by Moscow’s poor battlefield performance.
—David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Although Moscow's ground forces are being chewed up in the grinding war in Ukraine's east, Russia has wound up its defense industry to backfill its constant equipment losses and regular strikes across Ukraine.
—Ellie Cook — Reporting From Prague, Czech Republic, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
So that eventually ruined the whole postseason narrative of a starting pitcher grinding for five innings and a stellar procession of relief pitchers closing out a tight game.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
And the lack of blockbuster cross-border tie-ups is grinding some gears within the bloc.
—Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
This budget-friendly Presto knife sharpener features a two-stage sharpening system for grinding knife blades and honing them to a polished and sharp finish.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Miley Cyrus shocked viewers by stripping down to a nude bikini top and briefs and grinding, twerking and thrusting on fellow performer Robin Thicke at the 2013 show in one of the raciest performances in MTV history.
—Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Dude kept grinding — and listening — while Shedeur took the Big 12 by storm.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
That’s all 272 regular season games from last night’s grinding 24-20 win by current champions the Philadelphia Eagles over the Dallas Cowboys to January 4, 2026, and then up to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California’s Levi’s Stadium.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Instead, the army became bogged down in a grinding war of attrition, and the West was stunned by Moscow’s poor battlefield performance.
—David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Although Moscow's ground forces are being chewed up in the grinding war in Ukraine's east, Russia has wound up its defense industry to backfill its constant equipment losses and regular strikes across Ukraine.
—Ellie Cook — Reporting From Prague, Czech Republic, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
So that eventually ruined the whole postseason narrative of a starting pitcher grinding for five innings and a stellar procession of relief pitchers closing out a tight game.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
And the lack of blockbuster cross-border tie-ups is grinding some gears within the bloc.
—Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinding
Verb
-
But to have everyone there, rubbing elbows and being just as outlandish and quirky as ever, three decades ago just felt off.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Other signs that your cat is content and relaxed with you include kneading, and head rubbing and bunting.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some of those models make the curve tighter, bringing Bermuda into the path, and others give the storm a broader turn, potentially scraping as far as Puerto Rico.—
Alex Harris
Updated September 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Authors are suing tech firms for scraping their books.—
Don Markland,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This budget-friendly Presto knife sharpener features a two-stage sharpening system for grinding knife blades and honing them to a polished and sharp finish.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Credit rating agencies are sharpening their focus on climate vulnerability, raising questions about whether sectors or sovereigns with large protection gaps could face higher borrowing costs.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Silver Centerpieces For anyone who's ever gotten stuck polishing silver, there's good news.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
3 Sep. 2025
-
When growth takes off, there's often a temptation to start polishing everything.—
Mike Vietri,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The cats kept them up each night with their incessant whining and scratching at their doors.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
-
As a player just scratching the surface of his potential with so much still ahead of him, the coming months are critical to his hopes of landing an invite to Italy.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jerry Jeudy makes far too much money to wreck possessions with two drops, one that killed a drive and another that resulted in a crushing interception.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This is a big deal as the new process requires no crushing pressure or scorching heat.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Don't use steel wool or anything too abrasive.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Of course Fennell is making an abrasive, porny movie that may or may not open with a corpse ejaculating.—
Emily Temple
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For applicants, this begins with ensuring current compliance by filing all required returns, paying any outstanding liabilities, and meeting foreign asset and accounts information reporting obligations.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Peter Homer, who represents Weatherington and White said Dumas was ousted from the board during a July 22 meeting and said Dumas has a history of filing lawsuits against former employers.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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