as in to grind
to reduce to fine particles eons of incessant pounding by the waves have comminuted the once-rocky shoreline into a bed of fine-grained sand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Examples 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 comminute The report of displacement (out of alignment) is not as worrisome as if the fracture was comminuted (pieces). Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 5 Nov. 2017 Also, this prognosis is rooted in my hopefulness the fracture is not comminuted (in multiple pieces), as that might prolong the timeline by a couple of weeks. Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comminute
Verb
  • The duo’s first album, Good Years, arrives Jan. 31, with shades of Montgomery Gentry and Brooks & Dunn influencing its grinding, upbeat sound.
    Tom Roland, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Teen LinkedIn: Children under the age of seventeen can apply for jobs, expand their professional network, and get a head start at grinding their teeth at night.
    JiJi Lee, The New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Heavy snow pounded the district, with totals of 5-9 inches and isolated areas receiving up to 12 inches.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Allar has pounded the table time and time again for his receivers.
    Audrey Snyder, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Most of the bones were crushed and burned, reducing their potential to yield usable DNA.
    CBS News, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2025
  • If employment and wages rise, or President-elect Donald Trump says mass deportations are on the horizon — which could cause mass wage inflation — the market will get crushed, especially tech stocks, Cramer continued.
    Julie Coleman, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Elsewhere, her teammate Kayla powders her undereyes while in a split on the floor.
    Elise Taylor, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2024
  • In the wake of their failure to stop Obamacare, the Republican Party’s more pragmatic lawmakers wish that the Tea Party would powder their wigs, oil their single-shot muskets, and leave the governing to others.
    Michael Kazin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2013
Verb
  • The Rams were four days removed from defeating the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Vikings were four days removed from a 31-29 loss to the Lions, who have left opponents beat up throughout the season.
    Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The possibility that Trump follows through on his bitcoin reserve plans has spurred huge bitcoin price predictions from bitcoin traders and investors—with a leak revealing Russia may beat the U.S. to creating a bitcoin reserve.
    Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Imagine that a camera is set up to capture video of people milling around in a mall.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The area lends its name to pain de Gonesse, a bread historically made from wheat that was grown locally, milled with a special process, and fermented slowly to develop flavor.
    Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Cunningham will pulverize smaller players in the post.
    Fred Katz, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
  • And now, with the country in flux and a former president known for defying the laws of political gravity and pulverizing long-standing norms soon to be sworn back into office, he’s launched a new push to blunt Newsom’s flashy maneuver and rescind California’s call to amend the Constitution.
    Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The partnership between Synapse and Evolve Bank & Trust disintegrated over a $13 million deficit in Synapse’s For Benefit Of (FBO) accounts.
    Zareef Hamid, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
  • The phase transition If that wasn’t unpleasant enough for you, consider this: Perhaps the Universe will take some weird physics to the extreme and disintegrate in a flash of energy.
    Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 14 Jan. 2025

Podcast

Thesaurus Entries Near comminute

Cite this Entry

“Comminute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comminute. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on comminute

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!