Ground — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

to make smooth by friction

"after they are ground and polished, these stones can be used for jewelry"

to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound

"everyone in the car winced when the driver ground the gears trying to shift into second"

to make sharp or sharper

"better grind down that ax before you even think about trying to cut down that tree"

to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure

"used the finest polishing paper he could to grind down the facets of the diamond before dusting it with a soft cloth"

to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface

"ground the rock against the stone wall"

to reduce to fine particles

"grind whole coffee beans if you want the freshest coffee"

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

"the workers are being ground down by the long work hours which leave them little time for anything else"

to produce or bring about especially by long or repeated effort

"after several years of aborted attempts, the band finally ground out a new album"

a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective

"their ground plan is first to finish college and then get married"

a statement spelling out the proper procedure or conduct for an activity

"before the debate begins, let's lay out some ground rules"

a thing or place that is of greatest importance to an activity or interest

"a city that was once ground zero for the insurance industry"

as in roller