1. Material resulting from the process of grinding
   "vegetable grindings clogged the drain"
    
2. A harsh and strident sound (as of the grinding of gears)
   "The grinding of the old car's transmission worried the driver"
    
3. The wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water, wind or ice
   "The smooth pebbles on the beach were shaped by years of grinding action from the waves";
   - abrasion, attrition, detrition

1. Crushing and oppressive
   "grinding poverty"

1. Reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading
   "grind the spices in a mortar";
   - mash, crunch, bray [archaic], comminute [rare]
    
2. Create by grinding
   "grind designs into the glass bowl"
    
3. Shape or form by grinding
   "grind lenses for glasses and cameras"
    
4. Press or grind with a crushing noise
   "He ground the ice cubes between his teeth";
   - crunch, cranch [archaic], craunch [archaic], scrunch
    
5. Make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together
   "grind one's teeth in anger";
   - grate
    
6. [informal] Work hard
   "Lexicographers grind all day long";
   - labor [US], labour [Brit, Cdn], toil, fag [informal], travail [literary], drudge, dig [US, informal], moil [N. Amer]
    
7. [informal] Dance by rotating the pelvis in an erotically suggestive way, often while in contact with one's partner such that the dancers' legs are interlaced
   "The couple was grinding on the dance floor"

Derived forms: grindings

See also: tyrannize

Type of: atom, break up, corpuscle, create, dance, forge, form, fragment, fragmentise [Brit], fragmentize, friction, make, mold [N. Amer], molecule, mote, mould [Brit, Cdn], noise, particle, press, rubbing, shape, speck, trip the light fantastic [archaic], trip the light fantastic toe [archaic], work

Encyclopedia: Grinding