grit

[ grit ]

/ grɪt /

See synonyms for: grit / gritted / gritting 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.

SYNONYMS FOR grit

2 resolution, fortitude, courage.

See synonyms for grit on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

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Idioms for grit

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

OTHER WORDS FROM grit

gritless, adjectivegritter, noun

Words nearby grit

gristle, gristly, gristmill, Griswold, Griswold versus Connecticut, grit, grith, grit one's teeth, grits, gritter, gritting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for grit

Further googling of the McDonald’s buffet with terrible grits in Alexandria turns up nothing.
Fast-Food Buffets Are a Thing of the Past. Some Doubt They Ever Even Existed.|MM Carrigan|September 29, 2020|Eater
A hearty, cheesy spoonful of his grits reveals additional layers of the “new” American palate.
At Jackie, food is a catalyst for conversation|Evan Caplan|September 24, 2020|Washington Blade
They have shooting, vision, grit, length, speed, experience and more than one playmaker.
The Rockets’ New Starting Lineup Is Just Scratching The Surface Of Its Potential|Michael Pina|September 8, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
It took a tremendous amount of fight, grit, toughness, resolve.
Could Grant Hill Have Been Better Than Michael Jordan?|Joshua Eferighe|August 20, 2020|Ozy

Will, innovation, grit, unceasing creativity, and a touch of luck are all you sometimes need to win.
SEO on a shoestring budget: What small business owners can do to win|Ali Faagba|June 4, 2020|Search Engine Watch
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Tangent screws and bearings should be frequently inspected for dust or grit.
Visual Signaling|Signal Corps United States Army
Wash the leeks well, and see no grit remains, then cut them in short pieces.
The Allinson Vegetarian Cookery Book|Thomas R. Allinson
They were men of grit, men of the hills, men whose religious ancestry was right royal.
Lancashire Idylls (1898)|Marshall Mather
"Ye have the grit, ma'am," he said, as he mounted his horse again.
The Crossing|Winston Churchill
Talk about grit, the time a man wants to show that article's when he's busted.
The Main Chance|Meredith Nicholson

British Dictionary definitions for grit (1 of 2)

grit

/ (ɡrɪt) /

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 forms of grit

gritless, adjective

Word Origin for grit

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

British Dictionary definitions for grit (2 of 2)

Grit

/ (ɡrɪt) /

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

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grit

noun

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

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

SYNONYMS FOR grit