grinder
Americannoun
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a person or thing that grinds.
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a kitchen device or appliance for grinding food.
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a sharpener of tools.
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a molar tooth.
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Chiefly New England and Inland North. hero sandwich.
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Informal. grinders, the teeth.
noun
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a person who grinds, esp one who grinds cutting tools
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a machine for grinding
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a molar tooth
Regionalisms
See hero sandwich.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of grinder
Vocabulary lists containing grinder
Mechanical Engineering
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Engineering - High School
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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:
Monson de Kansky was performing in the role of a street dancer in the ballet “Petrouchka,” and Igor played the organ grinder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Max Parke has been visiting the bridge since December, equipped with noise-cancelling earbuds, a high-vis vest and an angle grinder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 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
The butcher stares then takes our meat to the grinder.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
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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
The high-pitched sounds of Mexico City’s organ grinders and the hum of a chatty crowd open Latin Mafia’s debut album, “Todos los dias todo el dia.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
Thompson said rescuers used "everything we can get our hands on", including jack hammers, grinders and concrete saws, to rescue people.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2024
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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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.