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

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

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

Verb

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

Scrubbing a dry, dirty window just grinds grit into the glass. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026

Then, just to flub any chance for enjoying some dumb fun with a skilled cast hamming it up, the sloppy story grinds the all-too-predictable, all-too-lame whodunit to a halt, as well. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Mar. 2026

That has led to longer regular-season schedules followed by tougher tournament grinds, particularly for those without multi-round byes awarded to top seeds. —ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026

Flashing by, indistinct, until something re-markable or strange grinds the journey to a halt. —Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026