1
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sweats
very hard or unpleasant work
yard work is a real grind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
3
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
6
as in pounds
to reduce to fine particles
grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grinds
Hailee Catalano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Jan. 2026
Water is drawn up through the grinds via the food-grade tubing and centrifugally extracted to yield a 12-oz (355-ml) serving of cold brew coffee in five minutes.
—Shirl Leigh
january 22, New Atlas, 22 Jan. 2026
Upgrade your movie marathons, gaming grinds, and Sunday chill sessions with this gorgeous 50 inch Hisense 4K Smart TV.
—PC Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
It’s finished with a generous sprinkling of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2025
And Destiny 2 has had some bad grinds in the past.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
As the war grinds through another bitterly cold winter, Russian strikes hit an apartment block Wednesday on the outskirts of Kyiv, killing two people.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
This week’s strikes came as the conflict grinds through its fourth winter, plunging cities into prolonged energy blackouts while temperatures dip well below freezing and are forecast to drop further.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
But Kingstown grinds him up through the prison riots, through being fired from his job to accidentally being responsible for the death of his mother.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
But Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby mustered just two shot attempts apiece, spending their time watching idly as the Knicks offense incessantly grinds into a standstill.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
So as teams have started to make more hay in recent weeks against a vaunted Denver defense, Joseph was asked before the Broncos took on Green Bay about what, if anything, changes as a 17-game regular season grinds into its final weeks.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
At bottom, that’s the thing that grinds my gears.
—Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
The Luxe Café automatically grinds beans to the appropriate size and volume for your drink, and has a hands-free frothing system for creating hot and cold foam.
—Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
Season with a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and cook until softened, 5–6 minutes.
—Hailee Catalano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Jan. 2026
Water is drawn up through the grinds via the food-grade tubing and centrifugally extracted to yield a 12-oz (355-ml) serving of cold brew coffee in five minutes.
—Shirl Leigh
january 22, New Atlas, 22 Jan. 2026
Upgrade your movie marathons, gaming grinds, and Sunday chill sessions with this gorgeous 50 inch Hisense 4K Smart TV.
—PC Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
It’s finished with a generous sprinkling of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
—Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2025
And Destiny 2 has had some bad grinds in the past.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
As the war grinds through another bitterly cold winter, Russian strikes hit an apartment block Wednesday on the outskirts of Kyiv, killing two people.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
As the war grinds through another bitterly cold winter, Russian strikes hit an apartment block Wednesday on the outskirts of Kyiv, killing two people.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
This week’s strikes came as the conflict grinds through its fourth winter, plunging cities into prolonged energy blackouts while temperatures dip well below freezing and are forecast to drop further.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
But Kingstown grinds him up through the prison riots, through being fired from his job to accidentally being responsible for the death of his mother.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
But Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby mustered just two shot attempts apiece, spending their time watching idly as the Knicks offense incessantly grinds into a standstill.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
So as teams have started to make more hay in recent weeks against a vaunted Denver defense, Joseph was asked before the Broncos took on Green Bay about what, if anything, changes as a 17-game regular season grinds into its final weeks.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
At bottom, that’s the thing that grinds my gears.
—Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
The Luxe Café automatically grinds beans to the appropriate size and volume for your drink, and has a hands-free frothing system for creating hot and cold foam.
—Mark Marino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinds
Noun
-
Blood was also around his nose and mouth, and scratches.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Beyond its polished look, the durable material is built to resist scuffs and scratches from regular wear.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Advertisement Especially for comedy nerds, the behind-the-scenes anecdotes about working with legends like Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder might be familiar.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
-
SmackDown also features the return of Jade Cargill, who has come under fire by nerds online for not defending her WWE Women’s Championship for 70 days.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This Kirundo lounge set is like an elevated version of baggy sweats.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Night sweats are alarmingly common, affecting up to 41% of the population, and people between the ages of 41 and 55 are the most susceptible.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Trendy skin care routines have the potential to harm teenagers' sensitive skin.—
Jana Pollack,
Parents,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Cobblestone streets wind through older neighborhoods, horses are still a common sight, and traditional routines like the hand-pressing of fresh corn tortillas, continue alongside modern tourism.—
Kathleen Peddicord,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This might happen because antler rubs strip bark away, revealing lignin-rich inner wood that reemits the longer wavelengths in a way bark does not.—
Anirban Mukhopadhyay,
Scientific American,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Unfortunately, Martin’s blunt and borderline rude bedside manner rubs the quirky, needy locals the wrong way, including schoolteacher Louisa Gavin (Abigail Spencer).—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That context sharpens what India is doing.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Your intuition sharpens, your vision expands, and suddenly the future feels less abstract and more achievable.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Protease, a gentle enzyme, smooths texture and helps strengthen the moisture barrier so skin stays bouncier, less reactive, and better hydrated.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
23 Jan. 2026
-
That’s thanks to glycolic acid, which smooths the hair cuticle to reduce frizz, plus hydrating hyaluronic acid suspended in a nourishing yet lightweight oil base.—
Jacqueline Kilikita,
Refinery29,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
With a palette knife, Callie Siskel scrapes at the raw face of elegy, revealing interior forms on a canvas where the poet’s father lives beyond death.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
26 Nov. 2025
-
But the legendary key party scene only scrapes the surface, and the film's blue-gray moodiness is downright enveloping, not to mention its brutally honest depiction of family ties.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grinds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinds. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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