Synonyms of grinds

grinds 1 of 2

noun

plural of grind

1

as in scratches

a harsh grating sound

the grind of ice in the blender sent the cat running from the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scratches
• scrapes
• creaks
• rasps
• clashes
• screeches
• jars
• clangs
• clanks
• jangles
• blasts
• croaks
• gargles
• scuffs
• brays
• bleats
• clangors

2

as in nerds

a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits

don't be such a grind—go out with your friends and enjoy yourself

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nerds
• geeks
• weenies
• swots
• dinks
• wonks
• bookworms
• scholars
• brains
• dorks
• highbrows
• intellectuals
• geniuses
• double-domes
• academics
• gearheads
• bookmen
• techies

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slackers
• underachievers
• goldbricks
• lowbrows
• goof-offs

3

as in sweats

very hard or unpleasant work

yard work is a real grind

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sweats
• toils
• efforts
• labors
• fatigues
• pains
• struggles
• drudges
• exertions
• slaveries
• drudgeries
• travails
• troubles
• donkeyworks
• moils
• responsibilities
• jobs
• duties
• obligations
• chores
• spadeworks
• treadmills
• tediums
• routines

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• plays
• rests
• eases
• fun
• reposes
• relaxations
• sports
• diversions
• amusements
• dalliances
• entertainments
• recreations
• inertias
• decompressions
• leisures
• inactivities
• dormancies

4

as in routines

an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity

the daily grind of a 50-mile commute was getting old

Synonyms & Similar Words

• routines
• ruts
• grooves
• drills
• patterns
• habits
• rotes
• locksteps
• treadmills
• methods
• techniques
• practices
• strategies
• traditions
• programs
• procedures
• approaches
• tacks
• plans
• regimens
• tricks
• customs
• styles
• housekeepings
• manners
• policies
• daily dozens
• wonts
• schemes
• fashions
• designs
• ways
• conventions

grinds

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of grind

1

as in rubs

to make smooth by friction

after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rubs
• sharpens
• sands
• files
• hones
• scrapes
• polishes
• buffs
• rasps
• smooths
• planes
• scours
• shines
• burnishes
• edges
• sandblasts
• whets
• glosses
• regrinds
• dresses
• strops

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coarsens
• roughens
• scuffs
• roughs (up)

2

as in grits

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

• grits
• scrapes
• crunches
• scratches
• groans
• creaks
• gnashes
• whines
• grates
• moans
• scrunches
• clashes
• collides
• jars
• rasps
• jangles

3

as in sharpens

to make sharp or sharper

better grind down that ax before you even think about trying to cut down that tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sharpens
• stones
• whets
• edges
• hones
• files
• strops

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dulls
• blunts
• smooths
• rounds
• glosses
• polishes
• burnishes
• buffs

4

as in smooths

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

• rubs
• smooths
• polishes
• shines
• burnishes
• scrapes
• coats
• scrubs
• glosses
• smoothens
• dresses
• buffs
• sands
• furbishes
• finishes
• bobs
• faces
• glazes
• files
• brightens
• slicks
• bones
• varnishes
• scours
• sleeks
• lacquers
• veneers
• sandpapers
• sandblasts
• rasps
• laps
• japans

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ruffles
• roughens
• roughs (up)
• scuffs (up)

5

as in scrapes

to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface

ground the rock against the stone wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scratches
• scrapes
• rubs
• grates
• groans
• whines
• rasps

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slides
• glides
• skates

6

as in pounds

to reduce to fine particles

grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pounds
• crushes
• beats
• disintegrates
• pulverizes
• mills
• crumbles
• powders
• mulls
• atomizes
• smashes
• grates
• brays
• breaks
• comminutes
• shatters
• fractures
• crunches
• fragments
• kibbles
• dashes
• splinters
• busts
• micronizes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of grinds

Noun

Skaters ages 6-11 showed off their nose grinds, kickflips and wall rides to an enthusiastic early crowd. —Tony Le Calvez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026

This is perfect for a small household that just needs enough grinds for one pot of coffee at a time. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026

After using your coffee maker, clean the basin where the grinds go as well as the coffee pot using warm, soapy water. —Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 18 Apr. 2026

Finish with a few grinds of black pepper and serve. —Nancy Vienneau, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026

Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and several grinds of fresh pepper. —Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 4 Mar. 2026

The base of the ski will be prepared with various grinds that respond to various snow conditions. —ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026

Don’t put corn husks, coffee grinds, onion peels, peach pits, eggshells, bones, vegetable peels, meat scraps, grease and large amounts of pasta down the drain. —Jessica Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026

This is because the amount of coffee that can fit in a volumetric measuring tool like a tablespoon can vary with different grinds. —Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Feb. 2026

Verb

When Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro raises his hand skyward, all on-field action grinds to a halt. —Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026

Their offensive flow grinds to a halt. —Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 12 May 2026

The production, directed with the brooding fluidity that is David Cromer’s calling card, is most alive in the evolving dynamic between Nick and Jacki, whose romance happens by degrees then all at once before reality intervenes and the criminal justice bureaucracy grinds to a halt. —Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026

The Food Processor quickly chops, slices, and shreds a wide array of ingredients for unlimited culinary creations, while the Coffee & Spice Grinder efficiently grinds coffee beans, spices, and herbs for superior flavor and potency. —Tory Johnson, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026

Company executives often meet with clients at Wilson's Sandwich Shop, a Depression-era favorite that still cuts and grinds its hamburger in-house from local cattle. —Dean Narciso, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

While passengers, for the most part, do their best to extend common courtesy to airline staff, there’s one boarding habit that, unbeknownst to passengers, grinds the gears of flight attendants who are preparing for departure. —Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026

Instead of using a stick of or slices of pepperoni, the team grinds their pepperoni to bake inside their rolls. —Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026

The all-metal body and burrs (the wheely thing that grinds the pepper) sounded promising. —Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Apr. 2026