as in scraping
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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
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Recent Examples of grinding
Holly Williams, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
This week, the optimism of spring has given way to the grinding reality of the sport, all before teams conducted their first workouts.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Credit to the team for working and showing up and grinding.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Feb. 2026
Hawke’s fifth nomination — his first in lead actor — feels like a career acknowledgment for decades of grinding in the Hollywood industry.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
Many came from grinding poverty and squalor.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
For Jones, doing his part meant observing, which led to at least four officers jumping on his back, handcuffing him, crushing his legs, and grinding his forehead into the frozen concrete.
—Evan Minsker, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2026
What follows is not a quick montage of temporary setbacks, but a grinding legal odyssey through an all-too-familiar hell determined to make the already-struggling Amanda pay for someone else’s mistake.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
After spending much of 2025 locked in a grinding consolidation, PEG has now broken above its bearish trendline, signaling a transition from defense to accumulation.
—Tony Zhang, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian land, but over almost four years of grinding war, those territorial gains are thought to have cost Russia over a million casualties.
—Holly Williams, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
This week, the optimism of spring has given way to the grinding reality of the sport, all before teams conducted their first workouts.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
Credit to the team for working and showing up and grinding.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Feb. 2026
Hawke’s fifth nomination — his first in lead actor — feels like a career acknowledgment for decades of grinding in the Hollywood industry.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026
Many came from grinding poverty and squalor.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
For Jones, doing his part meant observing, which led to at least four officers jumping on his back, handcuffing him, crushing his legs, and grinding his forehead into the frozen concrete.
—Evan Minsker, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2026
What follows is not a quick montage of temporary setbacks, but a grinding legal odyssey through an all-too-familiar hell determined to make the already-struggling Amanda pay for someone else’s mistake.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
After spending much of 2025 locked in a grinding consolidation, PEG has now broken above its bearish trendline, signaling a transition from defense to accumulation.
—Tony Zhang, CNBC, 4 Feb. 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
-
The nun moved from one child to the next, tucking them back under the covers, rubbing backs,and whispering sweet words of affection.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
One of his chief critics was Pele, and Scolari took great delight in rubbing Brazil’s triumph in his face.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 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 dynamic Sun steps into your 10th House of Career and Status, sharpening your voice and public presence.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Beyond sharpening elite preparation, Dornstauder says, the same tool should help expand access to wheelchair curling for people with disabilities who face mobility challenges or limited ice availability.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Unlike other countries that merely export their commodities, Botswana has created jobs by developing a local diamond-cutting and polishing industry, alongside jewellery manufacturing.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Lint-free cotton cloths are best for polishing and buffing silver flatware and serving pieces.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That's only scratching the surface of the symbolism and spirit of revolt that Bad Bunny brought to the Super Bowl.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Mock suggests using gentle cleaning tools to avoid scratching the flooring.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Safeguarding athletes But what about junior- and novice-level skaters, including those not even teenagers yet, who may get to revel in the soaring highs of hearing a good score but must also suffer through the soul-crushing lows of hearing a poor one?—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
It was led by Yoshiko Noda, a staid veteran politician, who briefly served as an undistinguished prime minister in 2012 and led his party to a crushing defeat at the hands of Shinzo Abe and the LDP.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Dirty or dry cloths can be abrasive, so make sure to always use a clean cloth.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Using a damp, non-abrasive sponge, scrub in circular motions.—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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