grind 1 of 2

noun

Definition of grindnext
1
as in scratch
a harsh grating sound the grind of ice in the blender sent the cat running from the room

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2
as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits don't be such a grind—go out with your friends and enjoy yourself

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in effort
very hard or unpleasant work yard work is a real grind

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in routine
an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity the daily grind of a 50-mile commute was getting old

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grind

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrīnd How to pronounce grind (audio)
1
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to grit
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound everyone in the car winced when the driver ground the gears trying to shift into second

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3
as in to sharpen
to make sharp or sharper better grind down that ax before you even think about trying to cut down that tree

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to polish
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure used the finest polishing paper he could to grind down the facets of the diamond before dusting it with a soft cloth

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to scratch
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface ground the rock against the stone wall

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to crush
to reduce to fine particles grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun grind contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of grind are drudgery, labor, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When might drudgery be a better fit than grind?

In some situations, the words drudgery and grind are roughly equivalent. However, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When would labor be a good substitute for grind?

While the synonyms labor and grind are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When is toil a more appropriate choice than grind?

The words toil and grind are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When could travail be used to replace grind?

The synonyms travail and grind are sometimes interchangeable, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

In what contexts can work take the place of grind?

The meanings of work and grind largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of grind
Noun
The latter, of course, feels unattainable in a time of worker precarity and a resurgent grind culture. —Anna North, Vox, 27 Mar. 2025 Looking for a reliable and affordable laptop that can keep up with your daily grind, weekend Netflix binges, or airport gate Zoom calls? —New Atlas, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
Created as part of a murder investigation, the 1993 tape showed a dentist repeatedly grinding a dental mold of the suspect’s teeth into the face and arm of a dead toddler during a post-mortem examination. —Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 11 Mar. 2025 But just grinding these out, man. —Michael Russo, The Athletic, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grind
  1. scratch
  2. nerd
  3. effort
  4. routine
  5. rub
  6. grit
  7. sharpen
  8. polish
Noun
  • Hassabis and Murdoch had to hire a team from scratch.
    — Hayden Field, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Head coach Pat Kelsey has earned some trust after building an entire roster from scratch in his first year and coming away with a winner.
    — CJ Moore, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of scratch
Noun
  • Take it from a film critic: Even gawky beta nerds get smothered by their own internalized masculinity.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Wednesday night gives us a grudge match worth watching, and a sliding-doors moment to bask in and nerd out.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of nerd
Noun
  • Such efforts have already led to the restoration of funding in Republican districts following federal cuts that impacted farmers and rural areas.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The removals mark Trump's latest effort to fire officials at independent regulatory agencies.
    — Pete Schroeder, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of effort
Noun
  • Overall, this low-profile keyboard elevates your routine with practical features that make each keystroke both satisfying and efficient.
    — Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Some of those lifestyle changes involved optimizing her sleep, ensuring healthy indoor air, incorporating meditation to reduce stress and starting an exercise routine.
    — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of routine
Verb
  • Gently rub away any remaining margarine with a paper towel.
    — Annabelle Canela, Parents, 16 Apr. 2025
  • Sometimes even small things can rub a customer wrong.
    — Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of rub
Verb
  • Then there’s Little Simz, who’s turning growth and grit into poetry on Lotus.
    — Okla Jones, Essence, 29 Mar. 2025
  • To become winners, Newcastle have had lose, both historically and this season, and Guimaraes has been required to grit his teeth and battle through.
    — George Caulkin, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of grit
Verb
  • Divisions of labor sharpened, with women's work increasingly taking place within the home.
    — Amanda Ruggeri, Time, 7 Apr. 2025
  • If managed well, this can be a constructive inflection point: a chance to sharpen CISA’s focus, streamline its operations and reinforce coordination with both the private sector and other federal agencies.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of sharpen
Verb
  • When the Doctor is planning to break into memory banks to search for answers about why robots and people suddenly stopped peacefully coexisting, Belinda decides to use a polishing robot to lead the robots to her.
    — Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Offer to polish the slides, do research, or bring everything together.
    — Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of polish

Phrases Containing grind

Browse Nearby Words

grinches
grind
grind (down)
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Cite this Entry

“Grind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grind. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

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