grind
to wear, smooth, or sharpen by abrasion or friction; whet: to grind a lens.
to reduce to fine particles, as by pounding or crushing; bray, triturate, or pulverize.
to oppress, torment, or crush: to grind minimum-wage employees.
to rub harshly or gratingly; grate together; grit: to grind one's teeth.
to operate by turning a crank: to grind a hand organ.
to produce by crushing or abrasion: to grind flour.
to perform the operation of reducing to fine particles.
to rub harshly; grate.
to be or become ground.
to be polished or sharpened by friction.
Informal. to work or study laboriously (often followed by away): He was grinding away at his algebra.
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.
Slang. (in a dance) to rotate the hips in a suggestive manner.: Compare bump (def. 12).
the act of grinding.
a grinding sound.
a grade of particle fineness into which a substance is ground: The coffee is available in various grinds for different coffee makers.
laborious, usually uninteresting work: Copying all the footnotes was a grind.
Informal. an excessively diligent student.
Slang. a dance movement in which the hips are rotated in a suggestive or erotic manner.: Compare bump (def. 21).
grind out,
to produce in a routine or mechanical way: to grind out magazine stories.
to extinguish by rubbing the lighted end against a hard surface: to grind out a cigarette.
Origin of grind
1Other words for grind
Other words from grind
- grind·a·ble, adjective
- grind·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- grind·ing·ly, adverb
- re·grind, verb, re·ground, re·grind·ing.
- un·grind·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use grind in a sentence
After roasting, hand-grinding the beans and seeping the grinds, he hands out steaming cups.
This is the language the massive NFL machine sputters, coughs and wheezes as it grinds its way through the draft process.
Which Team Will Make History With Michael Sam Tonight? | Robert Silverman | May 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThen, she gets on the hood of his Ferrari, hikes up her skirt, and… grinds on it to completion, howling with ecstasy.
The 10 Best Movie Sex Scenes of 2013: ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color,’ ‘Spring Breakers,’ and More | Marlow Stern | December 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe president is defending his flanks while the advance grinds to a halt.
Obama's Budget: Has He Gone Too Far, or Not Far Enough? | Megan McArdle | April 5, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIf any of those pieces stop working, the whole machine grinds to a halt--or worse, starts wreaking havoc on the machines nearby.
In “The Miller who grinds for Love,” the feeling and intensity and dramatic quality he puts into its rendition are stirring.
The Real Latin Quarter | F. Berkeley Smith"Why, Ferrers is called one of the worst grinds in the service," laughed Lieutenant Hapgood.
Uncle Sam's Boys as Lieutenants | H. Irving HancockI can imagine many reviewers must have their literary snow-grinds.
A Tramp's Notebook | Morley RobertsThrowing its whole weight upon them it grinds and scratches, pulverizes and grooves.
The Home of the Blizzard | Douglas MawsonYou've been waiting your moment, holding your breath on one side of the wall while the auger grinds through from the other.
Through the Wall | Cleveland Moffett
British Dictionary definitions for grind
/ (ɡraɪnd) /
to reduce or be reduced to small particles by pounding or abrading: to grind corn; to grind flour
(tr) to smooth, sharpen, or polish by friction or abrasion: to grind a knife
to scrape or grate together (two things, esp the teeth) with a harsh rasping sound or (of such objects) to be scraped together
(tr foll by out) to speak or say (something) in a rough voice
(tr often foll by down) to hold down; oppress; tyrannize
(tr) to operate (a machine) by turning a handle
(tr foll by out) to produce in a routine or uninspired manner: he ground out his weekly article for the paper
(tr foll by out) to continue to play in a dull or insipid manner: the band only ground out old tunes all evening
(tr often foll by into) to instil (facts, information, etc) by persistent effort: they ground into the recruits the need for vigilance
(intr) informal to study or work laboriously
(intr) mainly US to dance erotically by rotating the pelvis (esp in the phrase bump and grind)
informal laborious or routine work or study
slang, mainly US a person, esp a student, who works excessively hard
a specific grade of pulverization, as of coffee beans: coarse grind
British slang the act of sexual intercourse
mainly US a dance movement involving an erotic rotation of the pelvis
the act or sound of grinding
Origin of grind
1Derived forms of grind
- grindingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with grind
In addition to the idiom beginning with grind
- grind to a halt
also see:
- ax to grind
- mills of the gods grind slowly
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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