July 12, 2012 - Word of the Day

grind

When smashing something into small pieces, you can use the word "grind." Grinding something often involves the use of a machine; however, it's possible to use your hands as well. The past tense and adjective form of this word is "ground."

This is used for grinding beef. A hamburger is made from ground beef. (The word "ground" is an adjective.)
This is used for grinding coffee beans. Freshly ground coffee beans smell really good.
You can grind small amounts of food in this mortar and pestle.
He's grinding his axe to make it sharper.

There are other uses for this word:

• My car is making a grinding noise near the front tire.
• Andrea has a bad habit of grinding her teeth at night.
• The students are grinding away at their homework. (grind away = work hard)
• Darryl is tired of the daily grind. (The "daily grind" is a job or a routine.)

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.