grind away
phrasal verb
ground away; grinding away; grinds away
1
: to work or study in a steady, determined way
She was grinding away at her studies.
2
: to remove (a part of something) by rubbing something rough against it
He uses a special tool to grind away the stone.
Examples of grind away in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Asian American professionals are experiencing historic prosperity and wealth, but Asian American communities are ground away by gentrification.
—
Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
Just as many are a byproduct of grinding away at a regular, albeit high-earning, job for enough years.
—Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 7 May 2024
But the humor concealed a relentless dedication that could mean long hours grinding away at stories and challenging sources and story subjects to get at the truth, Morrissey and Herald colleagues recalled.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Instead of grinding away with mechanical drills, scientists use a gyrotron—a specialized high-frequency microwave-beam generator—to open holes in slabs of hard rock.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024
The room offers windows that don’t open, and with that many sweaty bodies grinding away, the humidity was stifling.
John Meyers, in his fifth season as head coach following Wayne Branstetter’s 40-year run, isn’t easily satisfied.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2024
The Islamic Republic’s secretive nuclear program has been grinding away for nearly three decades.
—Jacques E. C. Hymans, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2013
McMahan, 36, spent years grinding away trying to make it as a comedian and actor in Hollywood before taking a break following her father’s sudden passing from pancreatic cancer in 2015.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2023
In the end, though, all of Djokovic’s experience prevailed, along with that ability to return serves, to grind away, point after point, with his sneaker-squeaking, body-bending defense and more.
—Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2023
Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
Just as many are a byproduct of grinding away at a regular, albeit high-earning, job for enough years.
—Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 7 May 2024
But the humor concealed a relentless dedication that could mean long hours grinding away at stories and challenging sources and story subjects to get at the truth, Morrissey and Herald colleagues recalled.
—Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Instead of grinding away with mechanical drills, scientists use a gyrotron—a specialized high-frequency microwave-beam generator—to open holes in slabs of hard rock.
—IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024
The room offers windows that don’t open, and with that many sweaty bodies grinding away, the humidity was stifling.
John Meyers, in his fifth season as head coach following Wayne Branstetter’s 40-year run, isn’t easily satisfied.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2024
The Islamic Republic’s secretive nuclear program has been grinding away for nearly three decades.
—Jacques E. C. Hymans, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2013
McMahan, 36, spent years grinding away trying to make it as a comedian and actor in Hollywood before taking a break following her father’s sudden passing from pancreatic cancer in 2015.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2023
In the end, though, all of Djokovic’s experience prevailed, along with that ability to return serves, to grind away, point after point, with his sneaker-squeaking, body-bending defense and more.
—Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grind away.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near grind away
Cite this Entry
“Grind away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grind%20away. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
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