grind
verb (used with object)
to wear, smooth, or sharpen by abrasion or friction; whet.
were grinding
-
past progressiveof grind.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The Trailblazers were grinding the whole second half, wearing down Harvard-Westlake players as the loud home fans cheered them on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
Mostly, though, we were grinding through narrow paths in the woods, trying not to lose track of the orange trail flags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
“Around him, everybody put up good at-bats. That was impressive, the third inning. We were grinding at-bats, fouling off pitches, staying on pitches, taking our walks. It was a fun inning.”
From Washington Times ● May 20, 2023
"We were going after something we were so passionate about, we were grinding through to get this acquisition," she said.
From BBC ● May 13, 2023
The cogs were grinding against one another with a fearful noise of tearing metal.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
