as in scraping
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1
as in rubbing
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 gritting
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 sharpening
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 polishing
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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5
6
as in crushing
to reduce to fine particles
grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grinding
Garrett Behanna, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Marty Supreme follows a wildly gifted, unapologetically cocky aspiring table tennis superstar named Marty Mauser (Chalamet), grinding it in Lower Manhattan circa 1952.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
The Chargers have been a thorn in the Broncos’ side the past two seasons, and that was even true during a grinding win for Denver on Sunday.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
All that and grinding poverty, too.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
No sound effect makes people squirm quite like grinding teeth.
—William Earl, Variety, 2 Jan. 2026
Dunst shivers half-naked, desperate to get dressed, as one lady after another barges in, each ranking higher than the last entitled to present the queen’s garment—grinding the already painstaking Cérémonie du Lever (or rising ceremony) to a halt, all in the name of etiquette.
—Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 29 Dec. 2025
The cord tucks tidily under the base, and the grinding bowl is dishwasher safe.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2025
Momentum for offshore wind in the United States came to a grinding halt just as the industry was starting to gain traction, said Joey Lange, a senior managing director at Trio, a global sustainability and energy advisory company.
—Jennifer McDermott, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2025
Verb
Downtown tunnel closures The rail grinding project will also be coordinated with the weekend closures of the Downtown subway tunnel to combine efforts in the area and reduce the impact on riders.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinding
Adjective
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Recently, internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare likened the platform to North Korean hackers for bypassing anti-scraping protections on websites.—
Verb
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Moore picks up her little one and starts kissing her all over, rubbing her up and down her chest.—
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According to the court document, students said they were videotaped alone in a classroom with Illanes, with allegations of removing clothing and rubbing their backs.—
Verb
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The director, a graduate of the AFI conservatory, spent two summers growing up gritting his teeth at an all-boys sleepaway sports camp.—
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Bob Donnan / Imagn Images North Carolina and head coach Bill Belichick picked up a second straight ACC win on Saturday, gritting to a 20-15 victory over Stanford in Chapel Hill.—
Verb
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The event allowed Democrats to outline overlapping priorities — including universal support for expanding Medicaid — while sharpening other differences in their platforms.—
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Besides cleaning it, sharpening the blades, and draining the gas, don’t overlook your mower’s oil.—
Verb
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Its style was in many ways a refinement of the final run of Diablos, smoothing and polishing the old car’s edges while adding strength and modernity to the design.—
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At one point, convinced that one of the screenwriters who was on set polishing the script was leaking information to Weinstein, Scorsese rushed into the office and flung his desk out the window.—
Verb
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The best vacuums for hardwood floors have a powerful cleaning performance without scratching or causing damage.—
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That pollen can fill the air, covers cars and cement, and can start noses running, eyes watering and throats scratching.—
Verb
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In three full seasons since that postseason run – which concluded quickly as a result of a crushing 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round – Murray has failed to post a winning season as a starter.—
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But the tale of the game would be those relief points, just crushing us on the glass.—
Adjective
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The same rule applies to abrasive sponges or metal scrubbers.—
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Exfoliating bars can be too abrasive on sensitive skin or those who struggle with eczema or psoriasis.—
Cite this Entry
“Grinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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