as in courage
the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship
she was an athlete with true grit, continuing her training despite bad weather and an injury
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grit
Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
Obviously, there’s still a little bit of that grit and that emotion.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Westlake graduate missed just one game earlier this season but gritted his way through an undisclosed injury.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grit
Noun
The latest edition of the Hawks’ grit was a comeback win over Shawsheen in the state semifinals, scoring three unanswered in the third period.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2026
Obviously, there’s still a little bit of that grit and that emotion.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 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
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Westlake graduate missed just one game earlier this season but gritted his way through an undisclosed injury.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grit
Noun
-
Name your values and state your boundaries, then celebrate your courage with something that restores your spark.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Creative courage returns as the instinctive Moon conjoins mischievous Mercury in your 5th House of Play, urging you to express whatever stirs within.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The e-commerce giant sued Perplexity late last year, alleging the startup was concealing its AI agents that were scraping Amazon’s site.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
MAKfam, a Chinese restaurant with a Michelin nod for its value, faced a tough first-round opponent, The Empress Seafood, and scraped out a win.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Wizards showed more fortitude on Thursday.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
If winning is the only goal, then war is, by profound inference, a game, a test of masculine fortitude.—
Casey Ryan Kelly,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After going down two goals, the Galaxy scratched back on an 82nd-minute goal by Marco Reus.—
Damian Calhoun,
Daily News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The 23-year-old middle infielder was due to start at second base but was scratched with left knee soreness.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Forced into bravery alone in space, there’s no time or space for self-doubt, only action.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
-
To render into the world a thing with no material qualities is a trick that requires bravery and luck, and is akin to art, which in the making can be uncertain and uncomfortable but in other moments sublime.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Within its ribcage, researchers found dozens of gastroliths — swallowed pebbles used to grind food.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 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
Noun
-
Tips on Preventing Injury, From a Run Coach Run coach Meg Takacs, the founder of Movement and Miles—an app that helps runners build mobility and stamina—says this study’s findings track with what she’s seen with her athletes.—
Emma Loewe,
Outside,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Gudmundsson’s stamina was on show at the end of that match, too.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
An essay that lacks the rough edges, occasional clunky vocabulary, or endearing spunk of imperfect teenage writing can quickly indicate over-coaching (or, perhaps worse, the use of AI).—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes.com,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Zero in on a slip dress that Bessette Kennedy (played with ravishing spunk by Sarah Pidgeon) wears on her first date with America’s Prince and premiere himbo people-pleaser, John F. Kennedy, Jr.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grit. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
