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
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Recent Examples of grinding
ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2026
This stock was a disaster from May 2025 through the November lows near $48, losing roughly half its value in a grinding downtrend.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
Power outages also prevent Obiols Sobredo from grinding food for his goats, which produce less milk because of insufficient nutrition.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The researchers used high-resolution grinding tomography and an artificial intelligence model to find the fossils, which were located in rock samples that had been preserved in seafloor sediments found in Japan and Vancouver Island from 100 to 72 million years ago.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The team used grinding tomography, a 3D imaging technique, along with an artificial intelligence model, to carry out the research.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
The study authors found the specimens by using a 3D-imaging technique called grinding tomography to create high-resolution datasets, and an AI model, according to the study.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Bodies in motion are intercut with a bespoke gun factory’s grinding gears; human combats are juxtaposed with VR imagery or first-person shooter games.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Best Krups coffee grinders This is perfect for precision grinding for cold brew, espresso and pour-over coffee.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
Their experiments confirmed that adding a single squirt of water to coffee beans before grinding can significantly reduce the static electric charge on the resulting grounds.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2026
This stock was a disaster from May 2025 through the November lows near $48, losing roughly half its value in a grinding downtrend.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
Power outages also prevent Obiols Sobredo from grinding food for his goats, which produce less milk because of insufficient nutrition.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The researchers used high-resolution grinding tomography and an artificial intelligence model to find the fossils, which were located in rock samples that had been preserved in seafloor sediments found in Japan and Vancouver Island from 100 to 72 million years ago.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The team used grinding tomography, a 3D imaging technique, along with an artificial intelligence model, to carry out the research.
—Adam England, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
The study authors found the specimens by using a 3D-imaging technique called grinding tomography to create high-resolution datasets, and an AI model, according to the study.
—Jack Guy, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Bodies in motion are intercut with a bespoke gun factory’s grinding gears; human combats are juxtaposed with VR imagery or first-person shooter games.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Best Krups coffee grinders This is perfect for precision grinding for cold brew, espresso and pour-over coffee.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 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
-
Harvest quinoa by hitting the flower stalks against a hard surface or rubbing them between your hands to separate the seeds from the flower parts or chaff.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Apr. 2026
-
An employee washed hands for less than 10 seconds at the sushi bar, and the inspector wants to see 10-15 seconds of your hands rubbing each other.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 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 campaigns themselves continued sharpening those contrasts after the debate ended.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
-
According to Plunge, cold-water immersion triggers norepinephrine, a chemical messenger that delivers a burst of energy while sharpening focus.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
6 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
-
They’re specifically designed for glass cooktop surfaces and have two sides—a gritty, sandpaper-like one on one side and a soft sponge on the other that gently scrub off stubborn messes and stuck-on bits without scratching or damaging the glass.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
3 May 2026
-
The guy who went overseas to play, and then coach basketball, couldn’t even nab a Division III coaching gig before scratching and clawing his way into the NBA.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
That includes physicists at the University of Manchester, who were intrigued by the difference between crushing an empty soda can versus one that is full of liquid.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
-
Often, amid the scramble of a breaking story or a crushing deadline, a cool, smiling Chardy would shrug and utter the mantra that came to define him to his Herald colleagues.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Baking soda has a mild, yet abrasive texture that can lift out stains causing your tiles to look dull without damaging the surface.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
2 May 2026
-
For Udoka, the former NBA player who spent his formative coaching years as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, the current iteration of these Rockets is clearly forcing him to adjust his often-abrasive ways.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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