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grind

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

grynd
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɡɹaɪnd

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.

  2. transitive

    To shape with the force of friction.

  3. metalworking

    To remove material by rubbing with an abrasive surface.

  4. intransitive

    To become ground, pulverized, or polished by friction.

  5. To move with much difficulty or friction; to grate.

  6. transitive

    To operate by turning a crank.

noun

  1. The act of grinding to a powder or dust

  2. The act of reducing to powder, or of sharpening, by friction.

  3. Something that has been reduced to powder, something that has been ground.

  4. A specific degree of pulverization of coffee beans.

  5. A tedious and laborious task.

  6. uncountableslang

    Hustle; hard work.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.

Used this way, grind is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Mild
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use grind

  • “Grind the spices in a mortar.”verb
  • “Grind lenses for glasses and cameras.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

grind awaygrind corngrind slowlygod grind

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • grindingnounInflected form

    Material resulting from the process of grinding.

  • grindernounInflected form

    A large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments).

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • grind organnounCompound term

    A musical instrument that makes music by rotation of a cylinder studded with pegs.

  • grind downverbCompound term

    Rule a country as a tyrant.

  • grinding wheelnounCompound term

    A wheel composed of abrasive material.

  • grind outverbCompound term

    Produce in a routine or monotonous manner.

  • grind awayverbCompound term

    Study intensively, as before an exam.

  • grind to a haltverbCompound term

    Be unable to move further.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.