grind

American  

[grahynd] / graɪnd /

verb (used with object)

• grinds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• ground,
  past participle,  past
• grinded,
  past
• grinding
  present participle

1. to wear, smooth, or sharpen by abrasion or friction; whet.

   to grind a lens.

2. to reduce to fine particles, as by pounding or crushing; bray, triturate, or pulverize.

   Synonyms:

   pound, comminute, powder, crush

3. to oppress, torment, or crush.

   to grind minimum-wage employees.

   Synonyms:

   maltreat, persecute, afflict, plague

4. to rub harshly or gratingly; grate together; grit.

   to grind one's teeth.

   Synonyms:

   abrade

5. to operate by turning a crank.

   to grind a hand organ.

6. to produce by crushing or abrasion.

   to grind flour.

7. Slang. to annoy; irritate; irk.

   It really grinds me when he's late.

---

verb (used without object)

• grinds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• ground,
  past participle,  past
• grinded,
  past
• grinding
  present participle

1. to perform the operation of reducing to fine particles.

2. to rub harshly; grate.

3. to be or become ground.

4. to be polished or sharpened by friction.

5. Informal. to work or study laboriously (often followed byaway ).

   He was grinding away at his algebra.

6. Digital Technology. (in a video game) to perform a monotonous task repeatedly in order to advance a character to a higher level or rank.

   You have to grind for hours before you can embark on the main story mission.

7. Slang. (in a dance) to rotate the hips in a suggestive manner.

noun

• grinds
  plural

1. the act of grinding.

2. a grinding sound.

3. a grade of particle fineness into which a substance is ground.

   The coffee is available in various grinds for different coffee makers.

4. laborious, usually uninteresting work.

   Copying all the footnotes was a grind.

5. Informal. an excessively diligent student.

6. Slang. a dance movement in which the hips are rotated in a suggestive or erotic manner.

verb phrase

1. grind out

   1. to produce in a routine or mechanical way.

      to grind out magazine stories.

   2. to extinguish by rubbing the lighted end against a hard surface.

      to grind out a cigarette.

grind British  

/ ɡraɪnd /

verb

1. to reduce or be reduced to small particles by pounding or abrading

   to grind corn

   to grind flour

2. (tr) to smooth, sharpen, or polish by friction or abrasion

   to grind a knife

3. to scrape or grate together (two things, esp the teeth) with a harsh rasping sound or (of such objects) to be scraped together

4. to speak or say (something) in a rough voice

5. to hold down; oppress; tyrannize

6. (tr) to operate (a machine) by turning a handle

7. to produce in a routine or uninspired manner

   he ground out his weekly article for the paper

8. to continue to play in a dull or insipid manner

   the band only ground out old tunes all evening

9. to instil (facts, information, etc) by persistent effort

   they ground into the recruits the need for vigilance

10. informal (intr) to study or work laboriously

11. (intr) to dance erotically by rotating the pelvis (esp in the phrase bump and grind )

---

noun

1. informal laborious or routine work or study

2. slang a person, esp a student, who works excessively hard

3. a specific grade of pulverization, as of coffee beans

   coarse grind

4. slang the act of sexual intercourse

5. a dance movement involving an erotic rotation of the pelvis

6. the act or sound of grinding

grind Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing grind

• ax to grind
• mills of the gods grind slowly

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• grindability
  noun
• regrind
  verb
• grindable
  adjective
• ungrindable
  adjective
• grindingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• grinds
  plural

Participles

• grinding
  present
• ground
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• grind
  simple
• grinds
  simple
• have ground
  perfect
• has ground
  perfect
• am grinding
  progressive
• are grinding
  progressive
• is grinding
  progressive
• have been grinding
  perfect progressive
• has been grinding
  perfect progressive

Past

• grinded
  simple
• ground
  simple
• had ground
  perfect
• was grinding
  progressive
• were grinding
  progressive
• had been grinding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will grind
  simple
• will have ground
  perfect
• will be grinding
  progressive
• will have been grinding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of grind

First recorded before 950; Middle English grinden, Old English grindan; akin to Gothic grinda-, Latin frendere “to gnash the teeth; complain”

Explanation

If you like to grind your own coffee beans, it means you prefer to buy whole beans, put them in an electric grinder, and pulverize them into tiny bits before you brew your coffee. When you grind something, you mill or crush it into smaller pieces, the way you grind pepper or grind a grain into flour. Two things that rub up against each other also grind together, which is what your teeth do if you grind them in your sleep. Informally, grind also means boring, tedious work, often in the sense of "grind away" or "the daily grind." This sense of grind was invented in the 1800s as college slang.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grind grinds grinded ground grinding

"When you're in this situation and you've got a guide dog and you can't do anything, it does make certain things grind to a halt."

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Sean McVay’s training camp trades old-school punishment for a more precise, player-friendly grind that has become a hit with Rams players.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Ole Miss is far from the only institution with an axe to grind with Kiffin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Power cuts mean that water pumps grind to a halt.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Once again I am hiding close by in the tall weeds, awaiting my chance to haul myself up when the wheels begin to grind and screech, when once more it begins to race.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

There has been an uptick in civilian deaths in the conflict throughout 2026, the United Nations has reported, as the four-and-a-half-year war grinds on with no sign of a peace deal.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

The strikes earlier this month reflect the difficult position that Arab states find themselves in as the war grinds on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

They may even be detained for months or years while their case grinds through immigration court.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

When he’s done speaking, Paul looks back down at the table, grinds his palms together.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

“It was,” I say as a skateboarder grinds the curb.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Hiring had almost grinded to a halt by the end of summer, alarming the Fed enough to push the central bank to start cutting interest rates again.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2025

At Roland Garros he described his level as "vintage Norrie" and the way in which he grinded past Jarry was another example as he went one better here.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2025

The Lakers, though, grinded their way back from 17 down to get to within five in the third quarter and within nine early in the fourth, with a chance to cut it to six.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2024

“As the war has grinded on, justice is beginning to seem more like cruelty,” Stewart said on Monday's segment.

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2024

I have grinded over jagged rocks and navigated narrow and twisty paths.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

“Firefighters on the ground are experiencing some extremely steep and rugged terrain mixed with hot, dry temperatures and winds that are pretty variable,” Cal Fire Battalian Chief Josh Silveira said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Born in 1954 in Masjed Soleyman in southwestern Iran and trained as a mechanical engineer, Rezaei joined al-Mansouroun, a guerrilla group fighting the Shah’s regime that became a proving ground for Iran’s future security establishment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

This change allowed for more efficient locomotion, reducing drag as the body moved across the ground.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026

The best places to view the eclipse are from higher ground, or areas with a clear view towards the western horizon.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

A light snow lay on the ground and it was hard to find the sticks and twigs with which a small stove was kept going in each room.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

The diplomatic machinery is already grinding toward those meetings, with each serving as a checkpoint Beijing wants to clear without a Taiwan arms package in between.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

"Don't be rude. Otherwise, this interview will come to a grinding halt, Sarah," Joyce snapped back.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

In a world where the haves are grinding down the have nots, soccer is a reminder that anything truly is possible for anyone — you just have to keep at it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Since Russia’s 2022 invasion, the conflict has settled into a grinding war of attrition, with both sides deeply dug in.

From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026

His jaw was grinding as he stared off at the windows, and his legs were twitching.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Related Words

• grate
• pulverize
• reduce
• scrape