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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

grind.

To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.

5 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˈɡɹaɪnd/
  1. To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.

    transitive
  2. To shape with the force of friction.

    transitive
    grind a lens; grind an axe
  3. To remove material by rubbing with an abrasive surface.

  4. To become ground, pulverized, or polished by friction.

    intransitive
    This corn grinds well.
    Steel grinds to a sharp edge.
  5. To move with much difficulty or friction; to grate.

  6. To slide the flat portion of a skateboard or snowboard across an obstacle such as a railing.

    intransitive
  7. To oppress, hold down or weaken.

    transitive
  8. To rotate the hips erotically.

    intransitive · slang
  9. To dance in a sexually suggestive way with both partners in very close proximity, often pressed against each other.

    slang
  10. To rub one's body against another's in a sexual way; to frottage.

    slang
  11. To repeat a task a large number of times in a row to achieve a specific goal.

    These enemies give lots of loot when killed, so many players fight them to grind for resources.
    The first level of the game is the best place to grind extra lives.
  12. To operate by turning a crank.

    transitive
    to grind an organ
  13. To produce mechanically and repetitively as if by turning a crank.

  14. To automatically format and indent code.

    dated
  15. To eat.

    Hawaii · slang
    Eh, brah, let's go grind.
  16. To instill through repetitive teaching.

    Grinding lessons into students' heads does not motivate them to learn.
  17. To work or study hard; to hustle or drudge.

    intransitive · slang
    to grind LeetCode
  18. To annoy or irritate (a person); to grind one's gears.

    slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English grynden, from Old English grindan (“to grind”), from Proto-West Germanic *grindan, from Proto-Germanic *grindaną (“to crush, grind”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian gríende, griene (“to grind, mill”), West Frisian grintsje (“to crush, punish”), Dutch grinden (“to grind”, rare) and grind (“gravel, shingle”), Albanian grind (“to brawl, fight”).

noun/ˈɡɹaɪnd/
  1. The act of reducing to powder, or of sharpening, by friction.

    countable · uncountable
  2. Something that has been reduced to powder, something that has been ground.

    countable · uncountable
  3. A specific degree of pulverization of coffee beans.

    countable · uncountable
    This bag contains espresso grind.
  4. A tedious and laborious task.

    countable · uncountable
    This homework is a grind.
  5. A grinding trick on a skateboard or snowboard.

    countable · uncountable
  6. One who studies hard.

    archaic · countable · slang · uncountable
  7. Clipping of grindcore (“subgenre of heavy metal”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · uncountable
  8. Hustle; hard work.

    slang · uncountable
    I've been on the grind all week, trying to make ends meet.
Where this word comes from

From Middle English grynden, from Old English grindan (“to grind”), from Proto-West Germanic *grindan, from Proto-Germanic *grindaną (“to crush, grind”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian gríende, griene (“to grind, mill”), West Frisian grintsje (“to crush, punish”), Dutch grinden (“to grind”, rare) and grind (“gravel, shingle”), Albanian grind (“to brawl, fight”).

noun/ˈɡɹɪnd/
  1. A traditional communal pilot whale hunt in the Faroe Islands.

Where this word comes from

From Faroese grind (“pilot-whale meat”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.