HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

grind

(grīnd)

v. ground(ground), grind·ing, grinds

v. tr.

a. To reduce to small bits or crush to a fine powder: grind wheat into flour; grind coffee beans.

b. To shape, sharpen, or refine with friction: grind scissors to a fine edge; grind lenses for eyeglasses.

2. To rub (two surfaces) together harshly; gnash: grind one's teeth.

3. To bear down on harshly; crush: The team's spirit was ground down by harsh losses.

4. To oppress or weaken gradually or persistently: “Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law” (Oliver Goldsmith).

5. To operate by turning a crank: ground a hurdy-gurdy.

6. To instill or teach by persistent repetition: ground the truth into their heads.

v. intr.

1. To perform the operation of grinding something.

2. To become crushed, pulverized, or powdered by friction: Those coffee beans ground easily.

a. To move with noisy friction; grate: a train grinding along rusty rails.

b. past tense and past participle grind·ed(grīndĭd) To ride a skateboard, a snowboard, or skis over a grind rail or narrow surface, often with the board or skis at right angles to the direction of movement.

4. Informal To devote oneself to study or work: grinding for a test; grinding away at housework.

5. past tense and past participle grind·ed(grīndĭd) Slang To rotate the pelvis erotically, as while dancing or performing a striptease.

1. The act of grinding.

2. A crunching or grinding noise.

a. A specific grade or degree of pulverization, as of coffee beans: drip grind.

b. Bits of ground coffee; grounds.

4. Informal A laborious task, routine, or study: the daily grind.

5. Informal A student who works or studies excessively.

6. Slang An erotic rotation of the pelvis.

Phrasal Verb:

grind out

To produce mechanically or without inspiration: a hack writer who grinds out one potboiler after another.

Idiom:

grind it out

To make a persistent effort in doing something that is difficult; work at something persistently.

[Middle English grinden, from Old English grindan; see ghrendh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

grinding·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products