grit

[grit]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

abrasive particles or granules, as of sand or other small, coarse impurities found in the air, food, water, etc.

firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck: She has a reputation for grit and common sense.

a coarse-grained siliceous rock, usually with sharp, angular grains.

British. gravel.

sand or other fine grainy particles eaten by fowl to aid in digestion.

verb (used with object), grit·ted, grit·ting.

to cause to grind or grate together.

verb (used without object), grit·ted, grit·ting.

to make a scratchy or slightly grating sound, as of sand being walked on; grate.

Idioms

grit one's teeth, to show tenseness, anger, or determination by or as if by clamping or grinding the teeth together.

Origin of grit

before 1000; Middle English gret, griet, grit, Old English grēot; cognate with German Griess, Old Norse grjōt pebble, boulder; see grits

Related formsgrit·less, adjectivegrit·ter, noun

Synonyms for grit

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grit ON THESAURUS.COM

2. resolution, fortitude, courage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for grit

perseverance, spunk, toughness, guts, tenacity, fortitude, moxie, spirit, daring, powder, dust, gravel, pebbles, sand, nerve, gameness, spine, backbone, pluck

Examples from the Web for grit

Contemporary Examples of grit

In 175 well-chosen words, he sums up the trials and the grit and bravery of the civil rights movement.
Martin Luther King’s Nobel Speech Is an Often Ignored Masterpiece
Malcolm Jones
October 16, 2014
To do so in a Salvadoran prison defies comprehension and inspires respect for their grit and determination.
Out and Proud in El Salvador’s Murderous Gangland
Gene Robinson
July 13, 2014
A friend of mine is recovering from alcoholism and she just has to grit her teeth at weddings.
If You're Fat You've Only Got Yourself to Blame
Emma Woolf
April 15, 2014
For me, the takeaway from these results is that creativity—just like grit—does not occupy a separate sphere from academics.
Are U.S. Kids Creative Enough?
Amanda Ripley
April 2, 2014
Nor am I one of those pathetic “men” too wimpy to handle the grit of parenthood.
Why Men Shouldn’t Wait To Have Kids
Conor P. Williams
March 8, 2014

Historical Examples of grit

He's got to be flattered up, an' have some grit put into him.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
For thrift, grit and perseverance, are a few of the rough grains in his character.
The Book of Khalid
Ameen Rihani
Peel the mushrooms; rinse them to remove any grit, and cut off the ends of the stalks.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Put them into a jar one by one, that none of the grit may stick to them; and when cold, cover them with the pickle thus made.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
Says it's nothin' but just grit and hang-on that keeps him alive.
Fair Harbor
Joseph Crosby Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for grit

grit

noun

small hard particles of sand, earth, stone, etc

Also called: gritstone any coarse sandstone that can be used as a grindstone or millstone

the texture or grain of stone

indomitable courage, toughness, or resolution

engineering an arbitrary measure of the size of abrasive particles used in a grinding wheel or other abrasive process

verb grits, gritting or gritted

to clench or grind together (two objects, esp the teeth)

to cover (a surface, such as icy roads) with grit

Derived Formsgritless, adjective

Word Origin for grit

Old English grēot; related to Old Norse grjōt pebble, Old High German grioz; see great, groats, gruel

Grit

noun, adjective Canadian

an informal word for Liberal

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

Word Origin and History for grit

Old English greot "sand, dust, earth, gravel," from Proto-Germanic *greutan "tiny particles of crushed rock" (cf. Old Saxon griot, Old Frisian gret, Old Norse grjot "rock, stone," German Grieß "grit, sand"), from PIE *ghreu- "rub, grind" (cf. Lithuanian grudas "corn, kernel," Old Church Slavonic gruda "clod"). Sense of "pluck, spirit" first recorded American English, 1808.

"make a grating sound," 1762, probably from grit (n.). Related: Gritted; gritting.