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
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
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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
Dani Nadel,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
The grinding process will leave a large mound of chips mixed with soil that will need to be removed and replaced with topsoil.
—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
After grinding, mix the banana peel powder into potting mixes or garden soil for an extra boost of nutrients.
—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
20 June 2026
While most people her age are retired, kicking up their feet on the beach and enjoying the fruits of their labour, Huffington is still grinding.
—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
19 June 2026
Onstage as on your phone, Dylan was searching for new limits Wednesday — a lifer grinding toward the sublime.
—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Prior to Manzambi’s opening goal, the game unfolded like a grinding stalemate.
—
Josh Gross,
Oc Register,
18 June 2026
The group allegedly spray painted over surveillance cameras and used a grinding tool and blow torch to break into the ATM.
—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
The grinding robot has already proven its worth on the shop floor, successfully processing more than 500 steel sections while clocking a sleek 15 percent boost in operational efficiency.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
Verb
Yet Marketplace Pulse research shows only 23% of sellers are growing revenue and improving margins at the same time; the rest are either grinding or distressed.
—
Dani Nadel,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
The grinding process will leave a large mound of chips mixed with soil that will need to be removed and replaced with topsoil.
—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
After grinding, mix the banana peel powder into potting mixes or garden soil for an extra boost of nutrients.
—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
20 June 2026
While most people her age are retired, kicking up their feet on the beach and enjoying the fruits of their labour, Huffington is still grinding.
—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
19 June 2026
Onstage as on your phone, Dylan was searching for new limits Wednesday — a lifer grinding toward the sublime.
—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Prior to Manzambi’s opening goal, the game unfolded like a grinding stalemate.
—
Josh Gross,
Oc Register,
18 June 2026
The group allegedly spray painted over surveillance cameras and used a grinding tool and blow torch to break into the ATM.
—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
The grinding robot has already proven its worth on the shop floor, successfully processing more than 500 steel sections while clocking a sleek 15 percent boost in operational efficiency.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 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.
Verb
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Many kids joined Club America in part because Kirk’s conservative principles appealed to them and in part because rubbing elbows with wealthy donors who frequented Mar-a-Lago did, too.
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But Jonah never accepted plenty of welcoming hands despite rubbing elbows in such crowds, and Jamon hardly let his son leave the house, least of all for a party.
Verb
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When my grandchildren were around recently, Marie was gritting her teeth because her nerves were so frayed.
-
The director, a graduate of the AFI conservatory, spent two summers growing up gritting his teeth at an all-boys sleepaway sports camp.
Verb
-
Efficiency doesn’t mean cutting corners—just sharpening the blade.
-
But events in students’ lifetimes also played a role in sharpening their opinions.
Verb
-
The deceptively roomy, buttery-smooth leather style features a convertible crossbody strap, metal feet, interior pockets, and an outfit-polishing silhouette.
-
Prioritizing Features Over User Intent A common user experience mistake is polishing the surface instead of solving for the moment of intent.
Verb
-
Repairing Furniture There are few misfortunes greater than scratching a new piece of dark wood furniture.
-
Unless Drury is just scratching the surface as a 26-year-old, his 27 points in 82 regular-season games aren’t as promising a sign as his postseason highlights.
Verb
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The crushing win followed England's own big win at Lord's and sends the series to a decider in Nottingham starting on Thursday.
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Then the two in the final three holes that sealed the crushing near-miss.
Adjective
-
Don't scrub your pan with steel wool or an abrasive pad.
-
However, be careful with baking soda as this product is slightly abrasive.
Cite this Entry
“Grinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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