/ graɪnd; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
( ground , ground / graʊnd; NAmE /)
FOOD / FLOUR / COFFEE
1.
[ vn ] grind sth (down / up) | grind sth (to / into sth) to break or crush sth into very small pieces between two hard surfaces or using a special machine :
to grind coffee / corn
—see also ground (4)
2.
[ vn ] to produce sth such as flour by crushing :
The flour is ground using traditional methods.
3.
[ vn ] ( NAmE ) = mince
MAKE SHARP / SMOOTH
4.
[ vn ] to make sth sharp or smooth by rubbing it against a hard surface :
a special stone for grinding knives
PRESS INTO SURFACE
5.
[ vn ] grind sth into sth | grind sth in to press or rub sth into a surface :
He ground his cigarette into the ashtray.
The dirt on her hands was ground in.
RUB TOGETHER
6.
to rub together, or to make hard objects rub together, often producing an unpleasant noise :
[ v ]
Parts of the machine were grinding together noisily.
[ vn ]
She grinds her teeth when she is asleep.
He ground the gears on the car.
MACHINE
7.
[ vn ] to turn the handle of a machine that grinds sth :
to grind a pepper mill
•
IDIOMS
- bring sth to a grinding halt
- grind to a halt | come to a grinding halt
—more at axe noun
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- grind sb down
- grind on
- grind sth out
■ noun
BORING ACTIVITY
1.
[ sing. ] ( informal ) an activity that is tiring or boring and takes a lot of time :
the daily grind of family life
It's a long grind to the top of that particular profession.
OF MACHINES
2.
[ sing. ] the unpleasant noise made by machines
SWOT
3.
[ C ] ( US , informal ) = swot
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English grindan , probably of Germanic origin. Although no cognates are known, it may be distantly related to Latin frendere rub away, gnash.