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 gritted

grate, rub, scrape, crush, clamp, grit, whet, smooth, abrade, file, polish, gnash, sand

Examples from the Web for gritted

Contemporary Examples of gritted

After my crying spell stopped, I gritted my teeth, tucked my crutch under my right arm, and turned to my husband.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder
Carrie Arnold
December 20, 2014

Historical Examples of gritted

Wally gritted disgustedly, glancing over his shoulder at them.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
It was hard work, but they gritted their teeth and would not give up.
Frank Roscoe's Secret
Allen Chapman
She gritted her teeth on the words, her nostrils distended with rage.
Priestess of the Flame
Sewell Peaslee Wright
“Two days in succession I have been disturbed,” he gritted out.
The Night Riders
Ridgwell Cullum
At last he gritted his teeth and forced himself to look at the walls.
Loot of the Void
Edwin K. Sloat

British Dictionary definitions for gritted

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 gritted

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.

grit

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