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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:

“I had to put the table upside down and use a chisel and grinder to remove as much material as I could. It took us three tries to get the table right.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

Larry Friedman, a lawyer at Barnes, Richardson & Colburn, remembers arguing a case before Eaton over whether an industrial grinder should be deemed a shredder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

Quality brew, especially when used with their bean grinder, for a fresh cup of joe that hits exactly how you need it without the fussing.

From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025

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

Alf was a jack-of-all-trades, carpenter, tinsmith, blacksmith, electrician, plasterer, scissors grinder, and cobbler.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Called the Middle Ale after the store’s center aisle, where shoppers can pick up improbable bargains like inflatable kayaks or bench grinders, it quickly caught the attention of locals like Mark Rowan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

French investigators have collected more than 150 samples of DNA, fingerprints and other forensic traces from the scene, including from a helmet, angle grinders, gloves and a vest abandoned by the perpetrators, according to prosecutors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025

Mr Knight said Max had to be anaesthetised with a blow dart before emergency services cut through the bars of the cage using angle grinders.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025

But I don't know how you get rid of knife grinders.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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