1
as in rubbing
to make smooth by friction
after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
6
as in crushing
to reduce to fine particles
grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in scraping
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 grinding
Ranganath Taware, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Big picture, the stock market has been grinding higher in a sturdy trend, though with some fatigue below the surface.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
And both teams are locked into grinding practice rounds ahead of the showdown.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Preparing coffee the Turkish way involves grinding the beans very finely, and slowly cooking the water and coffee in a pot to create a thick layer of foam.
—James Doubek, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
Russia is unable to spare manpower from Ukraine, where its forces are prosecuting grinding offensives at multiple points along the front.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
Just keep grinding, keep working.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
The biggest challenge has been grinding his way through a six-month major league regular season for the first time.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
This budget-friendly Presto knife sharpener features a two-stage sharpening system for grinding knife blades and honing them to a polished and sharp finish.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
To keep auditors happy without grinding delivery to a halt, generate evidence packs straight from your PLM and CI/CD pipelines.
—Ranganath Taware, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Big picture, the stock market has been grinding higher in a sturdy trend, though with some fatigue below the surface.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
And both teams are locked into grinding practice rounds ahead of the showdown.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Preparing coffee the Turkish way involves grinding the beans very finely, and slowly cooking the water and coffee in a pot to create a thick layer of foam.
—James Doubek, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
Russia is unable to spare manpower from Ukraine, where its forces are prosecuting grinding offensives at multiple points along the front.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
Just keep grinding, keep working.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
The biggest challenge has been grinding his way through a six-month major league regular season for the first time.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
This budget-friendly Presto knife sharpener features a two-stage sharpening system for grinding knife blades and honing them to a polished and sharp finish.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grinding
Verb
-
Wipe dust from hardware, lightly rubbing visibly dirty spots.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The sports star shared another full-length shot of the couple — who currently reside in Oslo — with their arms around each other on the same white sands, while a third closer-up image showed the couple smiling and rubbing noses.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
To add details, etch swooping lines around the holes by scraping away the pumpkin's outer skin to create contrast.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Two games into 2025, the league’s lowest-scoring team from last year is still scraping the bottom.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This budget-friendly Presto knife sharpener features a two-stage sharpening system for grinding knife blades and honing them to a polished and sharp finish.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Credit rating agencies are sharpening their focus on climate vulnerability, raising questions about whether sectors or sovereigns with large protection gaps could face higher borrowing costs.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This is why authorities at the National Park Service, which maintains the statue, have repeatedly rejected any notion of polishing away the green covering.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Silver Centerpieces For anyone who's ever gotten stuck polishing silver, there's good news.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The fourth quarter of Sunday’s early-window games featured one head-scratching special teams play and a game in which two teams traded consecutive return scores in a span of 12 seconds.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Both are resistant to cracking and scratching, but Apple says the second-generation material is three times more resistant to scratching.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Even well-meaning regulation can have soul-destroying and industry-crushing consequences.—
David Doty,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Electric trucks from Volvo Trucks, supported by material transport, are enabling fully emission-free operations from selective gutting through to concrete crushing, materials processing, and transport.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Don’t use water inside the appliance since this can damage the electrical components, and avoid harsh chemical cleaners and abrasive sponges that can cause damage.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Head to Amazon now to snag Wright’s Copper Cream to make your pieces sparkle, plus shop copper cookware, non-abrasive sponges, and microfiber cloths to add extra shine to your products.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Missing these deadlines can result in penalties and interest, even if a taxpayer is otherwise eligible for a refund when filing their return.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Call your card servicer or visit its website for details on filing a claim.—
David McMillin,
CNBC,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share