grind (grinds 3rd person present) (grinding present participle) (ground past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you grind a substance such as corn, you crush it between two hard surfaces or with a machine until it becomes a fine powder.
Store the peppercorns in an airtight container and grind the pepper as you need it. V n
...the odor of fresh ground coffee. V-ed
Grind up means the same as grind., phrasal verb
He makes his own paint, grinding up the pigment with a little oil. V P n (not pron), Also V n P
2 verb If you grind something into a surface, you press and rub it hard into the surface using small circular or sideways movements.
`Well,' I said, grinding my cigarette nervously into the granite step. V n prep If you grind your teeth, you rub your upper and lower teeth together as though you are chewing something.
grind your teeth phrase V inflects
If you know you're grinding your teeth, particularly at night, see your dentist. V n
3 verb If you grind something, you make it smooth or sharp by rubbing it against a hard surface.
...a shop where they grind knives... V n
The tip can be ground to a much sharper edge to cut smoother and faster. be V-ed to n
4 verb If a vehicle grinds somewhere, it moves there very slowly and noisily.
Tanks had crossed the border at five fifteen and were grinding south. V adv/prep
5 n-sing The grindof a machine is the harsh, scraping noise that it makes, usually because it is old or is working too hard.
oft N of n
The grind of heavy machines could get on their nerves.
6 n-sing If you refer to routine tasks or activities as thegrind, you mean they are boring and take up a lot of time and effort.
INFORMAL oft adj N (disapproval)
The daily grind of government is done by Her Majesty's Civil Service...
8 If a country's economy or something such as a process grinds to a halt, it gradually becomes slower or less active until it stops.
grind to a halt phrase V inflects
The peace process has ground to a halt while Israel struggles to form a new government.
9 If a vehicle grinds to a halt, it stops slowly and noisily.
grind to a halt phrase V inflects
The tanks ground to a halt after a hundred yards because the fuel had been siphoned out.
10
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to have an axe to grind
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axe
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to come to a grinding halt
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grinding grind down phrasal verb If you say that someone grinds you down, you mean that they treat you very harshly and cruelly, reducing your confidence or your will to resist them.
There are people who want to humiliate you and grind you down. V n P grind on phrasal verb If you say that something grinds on, you disapprove of the fact that it continues to happen in the same way for a long time., (disapproval)
Civil war in the Sudan has been grinding on for nine years. V P grind up
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grind 1
