grits
Americannoun
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Also called hominy grits. (especially in Southern cooking) coarsely ground hominy, or white corn, boiled to a thick consistency and then sometimes fried, eaten as a breakfast dish or as a side dish with meat.
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grain hulled and coarsely ground.
plural noun
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hulled and coarsely ground grain
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See hominy grits
Etymology
Origin of grits
First recorded before 900; Middle English grut(t)a, gryttes (plural) “coarse meal, bran,” Old English gryt(t) “dust, meal”; cognate with German Grütze
Compare meaning
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Explanation
Grits are a savory dish made of ground cornmeal. You can order grits with your eggs at the diner, or try shrimp and grits for dinner. While grits are most popular in the southern United States, they've become more common in other places, particularly as a breakfast dish. Grits, unlike polenta, mash, and other soft, corn-based foods, are made from hominy, a type of corn that's soaked in an alkaline solution before being ground. This traditional Native American dish was passed along to southern colonists in the 17th century. Grits are so popular in the South that the region is sometimes called "the grits belt."
Vocabulary lists containing grits
World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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The Color Purple
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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.
Meek came in for bacon, eggs and grits for breakfast, and chatted with owner Duc Nguyen about having Food N’ Geaux stock the honey he harvests at home.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Like grits, greens and biscuits, gravy is a Southern staple born out of necessity, of making the best out of very little.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2025
You’ll want clamps of various sizes to hold pieces together while drilling or assembling, along with sandpaper in a range of grits.
From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024
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
Shirley’s talking so much she’s barely eating, and I’m thinking how cold her eggs, bacon, and cheesy grits are going to be.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
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.
