grind

[ grahynd ]

/ graɪnd /

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See synonyms for: grind / grinding / ground on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ground or (Rare) grind·ed; grind·ing.

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.

Slang. to annoy; irritate; irk: It really grinds me when he's late.

verb (used without object), ground or (Rare) grind·ed; grind·ing.

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).

noun

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).

Verb Phrases

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR grind

2 crush, powder, comminute, pound.

3 plague, afflict; persecute, maltreat.

4 abrade.

See synonyms for grind on Thesaurus.com

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There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

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True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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Origin of grind

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

OTHER WORDS FROM grind

grind·a·ble, adjectivegrind·a·bil·i·ty, noungrind·ing·ly, adverbre·grind, verb, re·ground, re·grind·ing.

un·grind·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby grind

grimy, grin, grin and bear it, grinch, Grinch Stole Christmas, How the, grind, grindelia, Grindelwald, grinder, grindery, grindhouse

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-Science
This 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-Science
The 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-Science
You can see it in the dives on the ground, the exhaustion, the grind.
The NBA Finals Burst the Analytics Bubble|Joshua Eferighe|September 29, 2020|Ozy

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|DAILY BEAST
But what if this war does eventually involve ground troops, and what if it does just grind on for years?
Can America Still Win Wars?|Michael Tomasky|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The daily grind of child-rearing and the stress of sharing responsibility seem to be a big part of it.
Pope Francis Is Wrong About My Child-Free Life|Amanda Marcotte|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
And 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|DAILY BEAST
Take a millstone and grind meal: uncover thy shame, strip thy shoulder, make bare thy legs, pass over the rivers.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The 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 Trevithick
He delivered his repeated phrases with an unctuous indulgent roll that made Gwynne long to grind his teeth.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
He turned over slowly, feeling the hard canes grind into his body as he moved.
Insidekick|Jesse Franklin Bone
Its 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

grind

/ (ɡraɪnd) /

verb grinds, grinding or ground

to reduce or be reduced to small particles by pounding or abradingto grind corn; to grind flour

(tr) to smooth, sharpen, or polish by friction or abrasionto 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 mannerhe ground out his weekly article for the paper

(tr foll by out) to continue to play in a dull or insipid mannerthe band only ground out old tunes all evening

(tr often foll by into) to instil (facts, information, etc) by persistent effortthey 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)

noun

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 beanscoarse 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

Derived forms of grind

grindingly, adverb

Word Origin for grind

Old English grindan; related to Latin frendere, Lithuanian gréndu I rub, Low German grand sand

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

grind

In addition to the idiom beginning with grind

grind to a halt

also see:

ax to grind
mills of the gods grind slowly

grind

OTHER WORDS FOR grind

Origin of grind

OTHER WORDS FROM grind

Words nearby grind

Words related to grind

How to use grind in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grind

Derived forms of grind

Word Origin for grind

Other Idioms and Phrases with grind