grit
noun
abrasive particles or granules, as of sand or other small, coarse impurities found in the air, food, water, etc.
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grit
American
[grit]
/ grɪt /
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.
- Synonyms:
- courage, fortitude, resolution
-
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)
-
grits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gritted,
past participle, past
-
gritting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
grits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
gritted,
past participle, past
-
gritting
present participle
idioms
grit
1
British
/ 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
-
to clench or grind together (two objects, esp the teeth)
-
to cover (a surface, such as icy roads) with grit
Grit
2
British
/ ɡrɪt /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
gritsimple
-
gritssimple
-
have grittedperfect
-
has grittedperfect
-
am grittingprogressive
-
are grittingprogressive
-
is grittingprogressive
-
have been grittingperfect progressive
-
has been grittingperfect progressive
Past
-
grittedsimple
-
had grittedperfect
-
was grittingprogressive
-
were grittingprogressive
-
had been grittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of grit
First recorded before 1000; Middle English gret, griet, grit, Old English grēot; cognate with German Griess, Old Norse grjōt “pebble, boulder”; see grits
Explanation
Grit is a coarse, gravelly dust. If you don't rinse dried beans before you cook them, you may end up crunching grit between your teeth. Grit is small, sandy pieces of rock or stone. Another way to use the word grit is to mean a determined, courageous attitude. If you have grit, you'll keep trying to climb a rock wall no matter how many times you slip and fall. Charles Portis's 1968 novel "True Grit" tells the story of a young girl in the 1800s who embodies this quality, persevering through extreme difficulty and struggle.
Vocabulary lists containing grit
Bridge to Terabithia
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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Free Lunch
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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:
During its finer, sharper stretches, this is a caustic caper filled with wit and grit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
For others, this World Cup only reinforced the values they always associated with Los Angeles: cultural acceptance, intense pride and charming grit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Keegan was regarded by some observers as simply a hard-working player who made himself great through sheer grit and determination.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
"The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you've got to grit your teeth."
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
It’s the soccer players and the track teams that show all-weather grit.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
“At the end of the day, a great hitter is going to get noticed,” said Tommy Seidl, a former Harvard outfielder who founded the Grit League with Rice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
This month, Grit will expand again with the launch of its third feature - Zuzi, an AI-powered chatbot designed to listen, advise, and guide users to local community support.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2025
Wendy Navarro, a young Esperanza graphic designer, videographer and founder of Grit Media, who grew up in the neighborhood, chimed in that the NEA’s support has been crucial to Esperanza’s post-pandemic recovery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2024
Artificial intelligence code cleanup startup Grit has raised a $7 million in a seed round, the New York City-based startup said on Tuesday.
From Reuters ● Aug. 16, 2023
Grit and burning ash grate in my teeth.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
The restaurants served up moderately priced country ham, pancakes, eggs and grits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025
Side by side with grits and eggs as our base, we let our moods of the morning dictate what more we add to our bowls.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2025
He married those influences with a deep love for South Carolina Lowcountry cuisine like shrimp and grits, fried fish and hoppin’ John.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
When the Huskies wake up, they’ll have French toast, cheddar grits, steak and eggs and andouille sausage.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2024
As was customary in their nineteen years of marriage, he left the grits on his plate untouched, an unexpressed but articulate declaration, rooted in geography, that the society he married into had not assimilated him.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
And unlike past editions when they often gritted their teeth and only eked through, they’ve done it this time with a game to spare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
"I gritted my teeth on everything," Naumov said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 11, 2026
Not performatively fun, not “I’m smiling through gritted teeth” fun, but genuinely pleasurable, in that way long projects can feel when the rhythm carries you.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2025
We burn, we shake, we flood, and each time we face our limitations, we promise with gritted teeth to do better.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
But I gritted my teeth and went at it so I could knock off and go home early.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
But credit Skubal for gritting it out each time, keeping the Dodgers in those three games against the Chicago Cubs, the Kansas City Royals and Brewers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Though Alicia emerged victorious, Christiane held a plank for over three minutes, arms trembling and gritting her teeth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Liu said he was "gritting my teeth and holding on" -- and hoping that the government helped to "stabilise the currency".
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
She ate well, gritting her teeth as she slowly worked her way up from a few daily steps to a two-hour mile, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
Then I unzip her jacket and pull it, first from her left arm, and then from her right arm, gritting my teeth as I slide it from beneath her heavy body.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
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.
