grind
Americanverb (used with object)
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to wear, smooth, or sharpen by abrasion or friction; whet.
to grind a lens.
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to reduce to fine particles, as by pounding or crushing; bray, triturate, or pulverize.
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to oppress, torment, or crush.
to grind minimum-wage employees.
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to rub harshly or gratingly; grate together; grit.
to grind one's teeth.
- Synonyms:
- abrade
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to operate by turning a crank.
to grind a hand organ.
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to produce by crushing or abrasion.
to grind flour.
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Slang. to annoy; irritate; irk.
It really grinds me when he's late.
verb (used without object)
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to perform the operation of reducing to fine particles.
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to rub harshly; grate.
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to be or become ground.
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to be polished or sharpened by friction.
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Informal. to work or study laboriously (often followed byaway ).
He was grinding away at his algebra.
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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.
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Slang. (in a dance) to rotate the hips in a suggestive manner.
noun
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the act of grinding.
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a grinding sound.
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a grade of particle fineness into which a substance is ground.
The coffee is available in various grinds for different coffee makers.
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laborious, usually uninteresting work.
Copying all the footnotes was a grind.
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Informal. an excessively diligent student.
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Slang. a dance movement in which the hips are rotated in a suggestive or erotic manner.
verb phrase
verb
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to reduce or be reduced to small particles by pounding or abrading
to grind corn
to grind flour
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(tr) to smooth, sharpen, or polish by friction or abrasion
to grind a knife
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to scrape or grate together (two things, esp the teeth) with a harsh rasping sound or (of such objects) to be scraped together
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to speak or say (something) in a rough voice
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to hold down; oppress; tyrannize
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(tr) to operate (a machine) by turning a handle
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to produce in a routine or uninspired manner
he ground out his weekly article for the paper
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to continue to play in a dull or insipid manner
the band only ground out old tunes all evening
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to instil (facts, information, etc) by persistent effort
they ground into the recruits the need for vigilance
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informal (intr) to study or work laboriously
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(intr) to dance erotically by rotating the pelvis (esp in the phrase bump and grind )
noun
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informal laborious or routine work or study
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slang a person, esp a student, who works excessively hard
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a specific grade of pulverization, as of coffee beans
coarse grind
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slang the act of sexual intercourse
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a dance movement involving an erotic rotation of the pelvis
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the act or sound of grinding
Other Word Forms
- grindability noun
- grindable adjective
- grindingly adverb
- regrind verb
- ungrindable adjective
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”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It also bought a machine for grinding skis, which is like putting tread on tires.
So when you’re younger, you have to grind a lot more.
From Los Angeles Times
On Earth, the crust is broken into moving plates that collide, pull apart, and grind past one another.
From Science Daily
Jonah heard the noise first, a sort of grinding that seemed to be coming from just the other side of the rock wall.
From Literature
The gold medal final may evolve into a grind, but Team USA appears to have an answer for any question.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
