as in scraping
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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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
6
as in crushing
to reduce to fine particles
grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of grinding
Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The stock peaked near $570, rolled over hard, and spent months grinding through a deep correction that took it all the way back to the low $300s.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 18 May 2026
The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for Russia’s grinding invasion of Ukraine.
—Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for Russia's grinding invasion of Ukraine.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow's oil exports, a key source of funding for Russia's grinding invasion of Ukraine.
—CBS News, 17 May 2026
Major League Baseball is grinding through its second month with the daily dignity of a sport that has not yet figured out how to make a Tuesday Marlins-Rockies game feel like a gender reveal.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026
Whereas most of his teammates got their start playing high school and college ball, Natty began by grinding it out in the Northern California mountain town of Lake Tahoe, the Washington Nationals said in a news release.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 12 May 2026
Begin by gently grinding the tip of your dog’s nails, being careful not to grind too much or too quickly and keeping the grinder at a slight angle to avoid the quick.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
Verb
Conventionally, cement is made by grinding up limestone and heating up to around 3,000 degrees.
—Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
The stock peaked near $570, rolled over hard, and spent months grinding through a deep correction that took it all the way back to the low $300s.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 18 May 2026
The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for Russia’s grinding invasion of Ukraine.
—Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026
The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for Russia's grinding invasion of Ukraine.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
The attacks are aimed at slashing Moscow's oil exports, a key source of funding for Russia's grinding invasion of Ukraine.
—CBS News, 17 May 2026
Major League Baseball is grinding through its second month with the daily dignity of a sport that has not yet figured out how to make a Tuesday Marlins-Rockies game feel like a gender reveal.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2026
Whereas most of his teammates got their start playing high school and college ball, Natty began by grinding it out in the Northern California mountain town of Lake Tahoe, the Washington Nationals said in a news release.
—Drew Pittock, USA Today, 12 May 2026
Begin by gently grinding the tip of your dog’s nails, being careful not to grind too much or too quickly and keeping the grinder at a slight angle to avoid the quick.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 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
-
This is also linked to a change known as Darier’s sign, which is a common finding in mastocytosis, where rubbing a skin lesion causes redness or swelling.—
Suchandrima Bhowmik,
Health,
15 May 2026
-
If one berry develops mold, spores can spread quickly, and moisture, warmth, and friction from the berries rubbing together can accelerate the spread.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
12 May 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
-
The Sun forms a cazimi with Mercury in Taurus in your 10th House of Career, sharpening your sense of direction, timing, and public voice.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
-
Comparing data with these missions will allow the mission scientists to hone their calibration of the imaging instruments, sharpening the interpretation of their data once the mission arrives at the asteroid Psyche.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
While rivals like the Tacoma and Colorado constantly reinvent themselves, Nissan tends to take the long road by refining, tweaking, and polishing instead of blowing everything up every few years.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 May 2026
-
Various owners have taken the reins over the years, but all were committed to preserving the bar’s old-school character rather than polishing, upgrading, or updating it away.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The chance to work with the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager had been a significant draw for many of the players who had joined the club over the previous 18 months, and his abrupt departure left some scratching their heads.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
For textured handles or seams where grime tends to hide, an old soft toothbrush can help loosen residue without scratching the surface.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
For a club already facing relegation on the pitch, their own fans may have just dealt them the final, crushing blow.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
-
For smaller prey, the attack may cause rapid death through crushing injuries or punctured organs.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Scrubbing with an abrasive brush.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
-
Use cushions when sitting on abrasive surfaces.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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