Grind

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Grind, v. t. [AS. grindan; perh. akin to L. frendere to gnash, grind. Cf. Grist.].

•  To reduce to powder by friction, as in a mill, or with the teeth; to crush into small fragments; to produce as by the action of millstones.  [1913 Webster]

  "Take the millstones, and grind meal."  [1913 Webster]
•  To wear down, polish, or sharpen, by friction; to make smooth, sharp, or pointed; to whet, as a knife or drill; to rub against one another, as teeth, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  To oppress by severe exactions; to harass.  [1913 Webster]

  "To grind the subject or defraud the prince."  [1913 Webster]
•  To study hard for examination; -- commonly used with away; as, to grind away at one's studies.  [1913 Webster]

Grind, v. i. 

•  To perform the operation of grinding something; to turn the millstones.  [1913 Webster]

  "Send thee
  Into the common prison, there to grind."  [1913 Webster]
•  To become ground or pulverized by friction; as, this corn grinds well.  [1913 Webster]
•  To become polished or sharpened by friction; as, glass grinds smooth; steel grinds to a sharp edge.  [1913 Webster]
•  To move with much difficulty or friction; to grate.  [1913 Webster]
•  To perform hard and distasteful service; to drudge; to study hard, as for an examination.  [1913 Webster]

Grind, n. 

•  The act of reducing to powder, or of sharpening, by friction.  [1913 Webster]
•  Any severe continuous work or occupation; esp., hard and uninteresting study.  T. Hughes.  [1913 Webster]
•  A student that studies hard; a dig; a wonk.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Grind, v. & n.
--v. (past and past part. ground)
1 a tr. reduce to small particles or powder by crushing esp. by passing through a mill. b intr. (of a mill, machine, etc.) move with a crushing action.
2 a tr. reduce, sharpen, or smooth by friction. b tr. & intr. rub or rub together gratingly (grind one's teeth).
3 tr. (often foll. by down) oppress; harass with exactions (grinding poverty).
4 intr. a (often foll. by away) work or study hard. b (foll. by out) produce with effort (grinding out verses). c (foll. by on) (of a sound) continue gratingly or monotonously.
5 tr. turn the handle of e.g. a coffee-mill, barrel-organ, etc.
6 intr. sl. (of a dancer) rotate the hips.
7 intr. coarse sl. have sexual intercourse.
--n.
1 the act or an instance of grinding.
2 colloq. hard dull work; a laborious task (the daily grind).
3 the size of ground particles.
4 sl. a dancer's rotary movement of the hips.
5 coarse sl. an act of sexual intercourse.

Idiom

grind to a halt stop laboriously. ground glass
1 glass made non-transparent by grinding etc.
2 glass ground to a powder.

Derivative

grindingly adv.

Etymology

OE grindan, of unkn. orig.

THESAURUS

Grind

ablate, abrade, abrase, aculeate, acuminate, afflict, agonize, ail, application, atomize, badger, barb, bark, beast of burden, beat, beat down, beaten path, belch, bibliolater, bibliolatrist, bibliomane, bibliomaniac, bibliophage, bibliophile, bibliophilist, bite, blare, blat, bone, boning, booklover, bookworm, brainwork, bray, break, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up, brecciate, browbeat, bulldoze, bully, bureaucracy, bureaucratism, burn, burr, buzz, cackle, castrate, caw, chafe, champ, chaw, chew, chew the cud, chew up, chinoiserie, chirr, chomp, chore, churn out, clamp down on, clang, clangor, clank, clash, coerce, comminute, compel, con, conning, contemplate, contemplation, contriturate, convulse, cow, cram, cramming, crash, craunch, croak, crucify, crumb, crumble, crump, crunch, crush, cuspidate, cut, cut to pieces, daily grind, daunt, demolish, despotize, diffuse, dig, dirty work, disintegrate, disperse, disrupt, distress, domineer, domineer over, donkeywork, drill, drudge, drudgery, edge, elucubrate, emery, employment, engrossment, enslave, erase, erode, examine, excruciate, exercise, exertion, extensive study, fag, failing student, fatigue, fester, file, fission, flour, fragment, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, galley slave, generate, give pain, gnash, gnaw, gnaw away, go over, grain, granulate, granulize, grate, graze, greasy grind, grind down, grind to powder, grinding, gripe, grit, groan, groove, growl, grub, grumble, gum, hack, hammer, hammer away, handiwork, handwork, harass, harrow, harry, headwork, hector, henpeck, hone, hound, hurt, ill-treat, industry, inflame, inflict pain, inspection, intimidate, irritate, jangle, jar, jog trot, keep down, keep under, kill by inches, labor, lacerate, levigate, lick, lick of work, lord it over, lucubrate, lucubration, make mincemeat of, maltreat, manual labor, martyr, martyrize, mash, masticate, mental labor, mill, mince, moil, mouth, muck, mugger, mumble, munch, nibble, nip, oilstone, oppress, overachiever, overawe, overbear, overmaster, override, pace, pain, peg, peg away, persecute, perusal, peruse, pestle, philobiblist, pierce, pinch, plague, plod, plodder, plug, plug along, plug away, plugging, plunge into, point, polish, pore over, pound, pound away, powder, practice, press heavy on, prick, produce, prolong the agony, pulverize, pumice, put to torture, rack, rankle, rasp, rat race, raze, read, reading, red tape, red-tapeism, reduce to powder, regard studiously, repress, reset, restudy, restudying, review, ride over, ride roughshod over, rote, round, routine, rub, rub away, rub off, rub out, ruminate, run, rut, sand, sandblast, sandpaper, scatter, scour, scranch, scrape, scratch, scrub, scrunch, scuff, scut work, set, shard, sharpen, shatter, shiver, shred, skin, slave, slavery, slog, slogger, smash, smash up, smooth, snarl, snore, spadework, spiculate, splinter, spur, squash, squirrel cage, squish, stab, sting, strap, stroke, stroke of work, strop, study, studying, subdue, subject, subjugate, suppress, sweat, swot, swotter, swotting, taper, task, terrorize, tiresome work, toil, torment, torture, track, trample down, trample upon, travail, tread down, tread upon, treadmill, triturate, turn out, twang, tweak, twist, tyrannize, tyrannize over, underachiever, unman, vet, wade through, walk all over, walk over, wear, wear away, wear down, weigh heavy on, well-worn groove, whet, wide reading, work, work away, workhorse, wound, wring

ROGET THESAURUS

Grind

Contraction

VB become small, become smaller, lessen, decrease, grow less, dwindle, shrink, contract, narrow, shrivel, collapse, wither, lose flesh, wizen, fall away, waste, wane, ebb, decay, be smaller than, fall short of, not come up to, render smaller, lessen, diminish, contract, draw in, narrow, coarctate, boil down, constrict, constringe, condense, compress, squeeze, corrugate, crimp, crunch, crush, crumple up, warp, purse up, pack, squeeze, stow, pinch, tighten, strangle, cramp, dwarf, bedwarf, shorten, circumscribe, restrain, (subtraction) 38 abrade, pare, reduce, attenuate, rub down, scrape, file, file down, grind, grind down, chip, shave, shear, wear down.

Malevolence

VB be malevolent, bear spleen, harbor spleen, bear a grudge, harbor a grudge, bear malice, betray the cloven foot, show the cloven foot, hurt, annoy, injure, harm, wrong, do harm to, do an ill office to, outrage, disoblige, malign, plant a thorn in the breast, molest, worry, harass, haunt, harry, bait, tease, throw stones at, play the devil with, hunt down, dragoon, hound, persecute, oppress, grind, maltreat, illtreat, ill-use, wreak one's malice on, do one's worst, break a butterfly on the wheel, dip one's hands in blood, imbrue one's hands in blood, have no mercy.

Sharpness

VB be sharp, taper to a point, bristle with, render sharp, sharpen, point, aculeate, whet, barb, spiculate, set, strop, grind, chip (flint), cut.

Pulverulence

VB come to dust, be disintegrated, be reduced to powder reduce to powder, grind to powder, pulverize, comminute, granulate, triturate, levigate, scrape, file, abrade, rub down, grind, grate, rasp, pound, bray, bruise, contuse, contund, beat, crush, cranch, craunch, crunch, scranch, crumble, disintegrate, attenuate.

Friction

VB rub, scratch, scrape, scrub, slide, fray, rasp, graze, curry, scour, polish, rub out, wear down, gnaw, file, grind, set one's teeth on edge, rosin.

Learning

VB learn, acquire knowledge, gain knowledge, receive knowledge, take in knowledge, drink in knowledge, imbibe knowledge, pick up knowledge, gather knowledge, get knowledge, obtain knowledge, collect knowledge, glean knowledge, glean information, glean learning, acquaint oneself with, master, make oneself master of, make oneself acquainted with, grind, cram, get up, coach up, learn by heart, learn by rote, read, spell, peruse, con over, pore over, thumb over, wade through, dip into, run the eye over, run the eye through, turn over the leaves, study, be studious, burn the midnight oil, consume the midnight oil, mind one's book, cram, go to school, go to college, go to the university, matriculate, serve an apprenticeship, serve one's apprenticeship, serve one's time, learn one's trade, be informed, be taught, drop out, leave school, quit school, graduate, transfer, take a leave, dismiss, expel, kick out of school, flunk out, be dismissed.