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
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Recent Examples of grinding
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
About an hour before the landslide, the signals merged into a continuous, grinding slip.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 May 2026
The former Connecticut player spent the past year grinding overseas and in the Athletes Unlimited league, quietly rebuilding her game after an end-of-bench role last season.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
Maggie could see how the soles of her feet strained against the stirrups, her pale fists grinding into the platform, knuckles first and elbows quivering.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
That spike in violence came on the heels of grinding efforts to completely halt fire, with the White House insisting that the truce is still holding.
—Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
If this were an American show, the gears would already be grinding, camera angles snapping into place, and the story would be halfway to becoming gospel before anyone had time to blink.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 7 May 2026
Software and computer systems design payrolls have been grinding lower recently, as have those of computer and electronics manufacturers.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Verb
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
About an hour before the landslide, the signals merged into a continuous, grinding slip.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 May 2026
The former Connecticut player spent the past year grinding overseas and in the Athletes Unlimited league, quietly rebuilding her game after an end-of-bench role last season.
—Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
Maggie could see how the soles of her feet strained against the stirrups, her pale fists grinding into the platform, knuckles first and elbows quivering.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
That spike in violence came on the heels of grinding efforts to completely halt fire, with the White House insisting that the truce is still holding.
—Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
If this were an American show, the gears would already be grinding, camera angles snapping into place, and the story would be halfway to becoming gospel before anyone had time to blink.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 7 May 2026
Software and computer systems design payrolls have been grinding lower recently, as have those of computer and electronics manufacturers.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 6 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
-
Pettis took out a paper towel and began rubbing the paints together on the easel.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
-
Also, avoid rubbing the scent onto your skin, as this degrades the fragrance.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
8 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 18 May. 2026.
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