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Glite Dictionary
☕ To crush 🔊 To make noise 💼 To work hard ⏰ Routine work 💃 To dance closely 🔬 Powder size 🧂 A crushing 📚 A hard student
to grind

to grind

55 4.8
To make a harsh, grating sound by rubbing two things together
  • verb
  • /ɡraɪnd/
: rechinar
  • I could hear the noise of the gears grinding against each other in the old clock.

So you wake up and you stare at the ceiling and it grinds through your head.

Examples

  • I could hear the sound of his teeth grinding.

    A Brother's Honor (2019)

  • Ma, I can hear ya grinding your teeth.

    Requiem for a Dream (2000)

  • I hear the truck start up, grind a gear, and drive off.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • See, we was factory workers, grinding metal and stuff.

    Boston2Philly (2018)

  • Two hours later, she heard the pickup grinding along the east side of the ranch house.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I felt the sand, individual grains, grinding into my back like bits of glass.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I listen to the sound of Squid's mail truck grinding into the pebbled path.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Two streetcars hitched together came grinding up Talbot Avenue, clanging, shaking, and trailing sparks.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The sound of the children grinding the chalk against the board echoed in the classroom.

  • As the car started up the hill, I could hear the engine grinding under the strain.

Synonyms

to clatter
vsto grind
48 3.9

To make a loud rattling sound by hitting hard things together

refers to rubbing that creates a continuous grating sound rather than striking
to crunch
vsto grind
31 1.8

To bite or step on something so it breaks with a loud, sharp sound

denotes repetitive rubbing noise rather than biting or crushing action
to cranch
vsto grind
  • Archaic
6 9.9

To make a loud crunching sound when something is pressed or walked on

is more about continuous rubbing that makes a grating sound
to grate
vsto grind
5 4.3

Make a harsh scraping sound by rubbing things together

is more about repetitive grinding rather than simple scraping
to scritch
vsto grind
1 9.9

To make a harsh scraping sound by rubbing against a surface

is louder and more repetitive, focusing on continuous grinding
to scranch
vsto grind
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A loud crushing sound you hear when you step on hard loose things like snow or gravel

is steadier rubbing and grinding rather than a single crushing action
to craunch
vsto grind
9.9

To press something hard so it makes a loud crunching sound

focuses more on repeated rubbing and grinding than brief crushing

Phrasal Verbs

to grind to a halt
13 5.8

Slow down until it stops moving or working

to grind out
  • Informal
10 6.0

Make many things like reports or products in a dull routine way

to grind down
10 6.1

Wear a surface away slowly by rubbing, or make someone very tired

to grind down
4 8.5

Make people suffer and control them by force

to grind away
  • Informal
3 6.3

Work hard for a long time on something, often before an exam or deadline

Compounds

daily grind
  • Informal
5 4.2

A boring, tiring routine of everyday work and chores

grind organ
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small music machine you turn by hand to play tunes from a cylinder with pegs

How Harsh

screech
21 2.9
to grind
55 4.8
to grate
5 4.3
scratch
9 1.2
rustle
10 4.4

Surface Forms

grind infinitive
grinding present participle
grinds third person singular
ground past
ground past participle

Etymology

Grind originally meant 'to rub', like hard things moving against each other and making noise. So when things grind, they make a harsh, grating sound from rubbing together.