grind 1 of 2

1
as in scratch
a harsh grating sound the grind of ice in the blender sent the cat running from the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits don't be such a grind—go out with your friends and enjoy yourself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4

grind

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to rub
to make smooth by friction after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to grit
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 to sharpen
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 to polish
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
as in to scratch
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface ground the rock against the stone wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

6

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun grind contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of grind are drudgery, labor, toil, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When might drudgery be a better fit than grind?

In some situations, the words drudgery and grind are roughly equivalent. However, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When would labor be a good substitute for grind?

While the synonyms labor and grind are close in meaning, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When is toil a more appropriate choice than grind?

The words toil and grind are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When could travail be used to replace grind?

The synonyms travail and grind are sometimes interchangeable, but travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

In what contexts can work take the place of grind?

The meanings of work and grind largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

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 grind
Noun
Read: When multilevel marketing met Gen Z Many of the messages that MLMs adopt to reel in workers rely on a central contradiction, criticizing the corporate grind while extolling the free market. Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 21 May 2025 Being away from home had become a grind, and Marx wanted to raise his kids and get off the road. Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 15 May 2025
Verb
The Panthers imposed their will on the Toronto Maple Leafs, eventually found the back of the net and kept grinding until the final whistle. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 19 May 2025 Trump fired Comey in his first administration and the president claimed Comey still has an axe to grind. Kelsey Walsh, ABC News, 16 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for grind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grind
Noun
  • Many organisations are using the EU’s framework globally as a benchmark rather than creating their own from scratch.
    Diana Spehar, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • And so Blomfield, who knows how to code, also tried his hand at vibe coding — both to rejig his blog and to create from scratch a website called Recipe Ninja.
    John Ruwitch, NPR, 30 May 2025
Noun
  • Art history nerds will want to be sure to stop in for a look at one of Pieter Bruegel’s The Tower of Babel (1568) paintings.
    Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
  • In the wake of voice actor Pamela Hayden's retirement, The Simpsons' beloved blue-haired nerd Milhouse Van Houten will now be played by singer Kelly Macleod, Entertainment Weekly can exclusively reveal.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • And this year, thousands of year-round and seasonal National Parks workers — including rangers, wildlife researchers and maintenance staff — have been fired and rehired as part of the DOGE efforts to slash the size of the federal government.
    Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
  • This Saturn transit is asking you to take the lead but with effort, consistency and hard work.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • The clip began with Kiser waking up and beginning her routine.
    Skyler Caruso, People.com, 20 May 2025
  • But with most makeup products falling under the 3.4 oz limit, including foundation and concealer, Barratt rarely encounters any difficulties when carrying out her full glam routine.
    Isabelle Rodney, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Better yet—especially for those with a delicate face of glam—there’s no need to rub the touchless formula in once it’s applied.
    Jenny Berg, Vogue, 23 May 2025
  • Keep the cables taut at all times, and protect the bark from rubbing by using rags or short sections of old garden hose.
    Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • For many people, grit – the perseverance and passion for long-term goals – is a virtue.
    Darlingtina Esiaka, The Conversation, 8 May 2025
  • After sweeping aside Monza in their first Coppa Italia outing, their road to the final had not been easier, gritting out an impressive win over Atalanta in the quarterfinals before beating an Empoli side who had eliminated Juventus in the previous round.
    Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
Verb
  • In any event, this is an opportunity to sharpen your skills, whether through studying or mastering a new way to relay messages.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 23 May 2025
  • The edge gap is the widening space between marketing strategies that sharpen a brand’s competitive edge and those dulled by algorithmic automation, uniform targeting and the rinse-and-repeat logic of platform and industry best practice.
    Liam Wade, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • The company has also really polished its software over the years, offering lots of customization.
    Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 23 May 2025
  • Pryor was a savant at polishing his challenging circumstances and debilitating neuroses into crowd-pleasing material, and this is broadly how he’s remembered in comedy history.
    Vulture Staff, Vulture, 23 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grind. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on grind

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!