grinding

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of grind

noun

1. (countable, uncountable)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. (countable, uncountable)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. (countable, uncountable)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. (countable, uncountable)Repeatedly performing the same quest or similar in-game activity in order to amass points or wealth.

   “I really hate the grinding to get that 1% chance item.”

5. (countable, informal, uncountable)The act of doing the daily grind.

   “A: Hey Bob, how's it goin? B: Meh, I'm tired of grinding, man.”

adj

1. (not-comparable)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. (not-comparable)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.”

3. (not-comparable, obsolete)Crushing; oppressive; overwhelming.