26984 words

grinds

16 definitions • 24 examples
1
to make something into small pieces or a powder by pressing between hard surfaces:

Examples:

Shall I grind a little black pepper over your salad?
grind something into something They grind the grain into flour (= make flour by crushing grain) between two large stones.
2
to rub something against a hard surface, in order to make it sharper or smoother:

Examples:

She has a set of chef's knives that she grinds every week.
grind something down He ground down the sharp metal edges to make them smooth.
The car engine was making a strange grinding noise.
3
to make a noise by rubbing your teeth together:

Examples:

She grinds her teeth in her sleep.
4
in computer games, to repeat tasks many times in order to make your character more powerful, get more useful things, etc. :

Examples:

It can be hard to grind a game without getting bored.
He asked me how to grind the game without spending money.
5
the size of grains in a substance that has been ground, especially coffee:

Examples:

Use the correct grind for your coffee brewer.
Cook time will vary from 5–10 minutes for instant grits to around 45 minutes for the coarser grinds.
6
an action of grinding a substance into a powder:

Examples:

Season with a few grinds of black pepper.
7
a difficult or boring activity that needs a lot of effort:

Examples:

Having to type up my handwritten work was a real grind.
daily grind The daily grind of taking care of three children was wearing her down.
8
a boring person who studies all the time and does nothing else
9

Examples:

She's getting grinds.
He can give you maths grinds.
10

Examples:

Every morning I go to the kitchen and grind some coffee.
11
to rub an object against a hard surface in order to make it sharper, thinner, or smoother:
12
If you grind two sets of objects, you press and rub them together in a way that makes an unpleasant noise:

Examples:

Ursula grinds her teeth at night.
13

Examples:

Karen came to the hotel for a rest from the daily grind.
14
a difficult or boring activity that needs a lot of effort:

Examples:

He recalls the grind of working his day job and then in a bar at night.
15

Examples:

The recession has driven many would-be-retirees back to the daily grind.
16
to stop gradually:

Examples:

Business ground to a standstill during the bad weather.

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