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Synonyms

grinder

American  
[grahyn-der] / ˈgraɪn dər /

noun

  • grinders
    plural
  1. a person or thing that grinds.

  2. a kitchen device or appliance for grinding food.

  3. a sharpener of tools.

  4. a molar tooth.

  5. Chiefly New England and Inland North. hero sandwich.

  6. Informal. grinders, the teeth.


grinder British  
/ ˈɡraɪndə /

noun

  1. a person who grinds, esp one who grinds cutting tools

  2. a machine for grinding

  3. a molar tooth

"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

Regionalisms

See hero sandwich.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of grinder

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; grind + -er 1


Vocabulary lists containing grinder

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.

See Examples For:

This relic of combustion awakens in the morning with the refinement of a coffee grinder, winding at around 3,000 rpm until the catalytic converter heats up and the revs fall back to idle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Electronic tchotchkes are ubiquitous but many people have little or no access to nutritious food or health care as our environment is run through a meat grinder and set on fire.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026

Hamilton coach Elijah Asante said, “Coach Chesney is a grinder and he’s going to find those hidden gems.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026

Mr De Wet also said Mr Olivier chopped up the hunting rifles with an angle grinder and burnt the wooden parts of the gun.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025

She didn’t know whether it would be better to be a band when she grew up or an organ grinder lady.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Generators, metal grinders and backhoes to clear debris are also desperately needed, affected residents say.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

A Peugeot salt and pepper mill worth £31.65 was also part of the collection but there was no police issued picture of the ostentatious Lalique salt and pepper grinders, bought in 2020 for £2,618.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

It is unclear if the Lalique salt and pepper grinders were ever found.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Left behind on the street outside the Louvre was the truck, a jerry can, a blowtorch, angle grinders, a walkie-talkie and yellow vests.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

The twelve of us that showed up had been able to put away only two or three feet of the pair of six-foot-long grinders wrapped in blue cellophane.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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