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grinding

noun, adj — 8 senses

grinding

noun

/ˈɡɹaɪnd.ɪŋ/

Etymology Inherited from Middle English gryndynge. By surface analysis, grind + -ing.

1

The action of grinding together or crushing into small particles; the sound of this action.

  • Ominous creakings and grindings came from the innards of the machine.
2

Business, Manufacturing The action of grinding a workpiece to change its size, shape, and surface finish.

  • Grinding sometimes involves tight tolerances on the order of a few microns.
3

Dance, Dancing, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A form of dance in which two people rub their bodies together.

  • No grinding is allowed on the dance floor at the junior prom: it isn't age-appropriate.
4

Games, Gaming Repeatedly performing the same quest or similar in-game activity in order to amass points or wealth.

Roleplaying games

  • I really hate the grinding to get that 1% chance item.
5

Business Informal The act of doing the daily grind.

  • A: Hey Bob, how's it goin? B: Meh, I'm tired of grinding, man.
Derived terms
backgrinding, gerund-grinding, grinding frame, grinding gear, grinding machine, grinding stone, grinding wheel, high grinding, hip-grinding, pregrinding

grinding

adj

Etymology Inherited from Middle English gryndynge. By surface analysis, grind + -ing.

1

Of or pertaining to the act or gratingly sound of grinding.

  • The meeting came to a grinding halt when the two sides could not agree.
2

Relentlessly taxing; burdensome; exacting to the point of exhaustion.

  • A week of filled with grinding toil.
  • I saw none of the grinding poverty to which I had become inured, no beggars, no one passed out in the streets or homeless people forced to camp out in parks and doorways.1983 April 16, John Kyper, “Cuba: A Little Sex, No Drugs, and Lotsa Rock 'n Roll”, in Gay Community News, page 8:
3

Obsolete Crushing; oppressive; overwhelming.

Derived terms
grindingly

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.