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
Words Nearby grind
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use grind in a sentence
The grind tray snaps out and lets you dump or repurpose excess or spilled coffee.
Gear to make every day feel like National Coffee Day | PopSci Commerce Team | September 29, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThis can be super helpful for fine tuning your grind for espresso machines.
Gear to make every day feel like National Coffee Day | PopSci Commerce Team | September 29, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe Toddy requires 12 ounces of grinds and seven cups of water.
Gear to make every day feel like National Coffee Day | PopSci Commerce Team | September 29, 2020 | Popular-ScienceYou can see it in the dives on the ground, the exhaustion, the grind.
Use a broad angle and grind for wood processing or other brute-force tasks and a narrow edge and concave grind for meat processing or other slicing duties.
Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Knife | Wes Siler | September 3, 2020 | Outside Online
It was promoted on what might be called not-quite-mainstream or, indeed, axe-to-grind media.
Dutch Biker Gangs Vs. ISIS | Nadette De Visser, Christopher Dickey | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut what if this war does eventually involve ground troops, and what if it does just grind on for years?
The daily grind of child-rearing and the stress of sharing responsibility seem to be a big part of it.
Those who propagate it are considered paranoids or activists with an axe to grind.
Did Putin Blow Up the Whole Polish Government in 2010? A Second Look. | Will Cathcart | April 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd I think it will slowly grind you down until you have the utmost respect for it, which I now have.
Prince Harry: "Antarctica Jumped Up And Bit Me On The Ass." | Tom Sykes | March 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTake a millstone and grind meal: uncover thy shame, strip thy shoulder, make bare thy legs, pass over the rivers.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousThe poorest people reduce it to powder by manual labour, in the same way as they grind corn preparatory to baking it into cakes.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickHe delivered his repeated phrases with an unctuous indulgent roll that made Gwynne long to grind his teeth.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonHe turned over slowly, feeling the hard canes grind into his body as he moved.
Insidekick | Jesse Franklin BoneIts that Im just sick of the office and the grind every week and no change!nothing new, nothing happening.
Chains | Elizabeth Baker
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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