grit 1 of 2

noun

ˈgrit How to pronounce grit (audio)
Definition of gritnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

grit

2 of 2

verb

as in to scrape
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound the crash victim gritted his teeth as a way of coping with the pain

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Noun
And the protesters’ grit, wit, inventiveness, and fearlessness have dented Modi’s authority like nothing else has in the past 12 years. — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026 Marcus, however, showed a lot of grit and guts for a lad who was not expected to triumph. — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
Showed toughness by gritting through ankle and knee injuries in the Final Four and title game. — ABC News, 23 June 2026 Then the coach known as the most impulsive man on an NFL sideline runs that stop sign, grits his teeth and breaks unbound into character. — Michael Silver, New York Times, 16 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for grit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grit
  1. courage
  2. scrape
  3. fortitude
  4. scratch
  5. bravery
  6. grind
  7. stamina
  8. spunk
Noun
  • As their connection grows, each of them helps give the other the courage to step outside their comfort zones and find new joy — and possibly love — in unexpected ways.
    — Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Sir Patrick Stewart's most famous characters tackled concepts such as honor, morality and courage.
    — Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of courage
Verb
  • That requires more than unverified content scraped from the open web.
    — Oliver Kharraz, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The Thunder were scraping the rotational barrel hard enough on Monday against the Phoenix Suns that rookie two-way Josh Dix played 10 straight minutes in the second half.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of scrape
Noun
  • But more importantly — and what comes with age — is having the fortitude not to follow them.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • That mental fortitude stood out to Green during a minor-league game in which Voit started 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of fortitude
Verb
  • Starting left tackle Elijah Paige had been scratched in pregame warm-ups at Penn State.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Lee is forever grunting and scratching and clearing his throat.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of scratch
Noun
  • But a rally outside Wednesday's meet — where the boy finished second among a field of 25 to help lead Camas to the girls district championship — showed that the adults are catching up in the bravery department.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • As possibly the most thrilling option in the entire park, the free-fall station tests visitors’ bravery.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bravery
Verb
  • For decades, junior accountants learned their trade by reconciling accounts, manually entering data, and grinding through the month-end close.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This innovation—the mass manufacture of ammonia, vastly more efficient than scraping guano off remote islands or grinding mountains of bison bones—removed the most critical nutrient bottleneck in global agriculture.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of grind
Noun
  • That left Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae Jeung to carry a 19-song show that demanded extraordinary stamina, with relentless choreography executed in everything from chunky platform boots to precarious-looking silver heels.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Under that gorgeous screen, the watch is packed with 32GB of storage, tons of sports modes to track your activities, and a myriad of other metrics, including overall stamina, sleep, VO2 max, recovery insights, and even wrist power.
    — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of stamina
Noun
  • But Alcock is no John Wayne or Jeff Bridges, and Ridley lacks the spunk of Kim Darby and Hailee Steinfeld.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 24 June 2026
  • These small, high-energy pups have plenty of spunk and a big heart.
    — Pat Mueller, USA Today, 11 June 2026
Definition of spunk

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Cite this Entry

“Grit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grit. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about grit

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