(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ of wheat, rice, or other cereal crop is a seed from it.
...a ~ of wheat.
...rice ~s.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
2.
Grain is a cereal crop, especially wheat or corn, that has been harvested and is used for food or in trade.
...a bag of ~.
...the best ~s.
N-MASS
3.
A ~ of something such as sand or salt is a tiny hard piece of it.
...a ~ of sand.
N-COUNT
-~ed
...coarse-~ed salt.
COMB in ADJ
4.
A ~ of a quality is a very small amount of it.
There’s more than a ~ of truth in that.
N-SING: N of n
5.
The ~ of a piece of wood is the direction of its fibres. You can also refer to the pattern of lines on the surface of the wood as the ~.
Brush the paint generously over the wood in the direction of the ~.
N-SING: the N
-~ed
...a hard, heavy, straight-~ed wood.
COMB in ADJ
6.
If you say that an idea or action goes against the ~, you mean that it is very difficult for you to accept it or do it, because it conflicts with your previous ideas, beliefs, or principles.
Privatisation goes against the ~ of their principle of opposition to private ownership of industry.
PHRASE: V inflects