grind away
phr. v..phr. v.. to keep working hard at a difficult or boring task for a long time.
phr. v.. to work laboriously and persistently at a task, often one that is repetitive or mentally taxing; implies a sense of slow, steady progress through effort.
He continues to grind away at his thesis every night.
Even though the project was exhausting, she kept grinding away until every detail was perfect.
The researchers spent years grinding away in the laboratory before they finally achieved a breakthrough in renewable energy storage.
usually followed by the preposition 'at' plus the task or project.
the verb 'grind' suggests the friction and effort of a machine; use this to help students visualize the 'slow but steady' nature of the work compared to 'rush'.
He is grinding away his homework.He is grinding away at his homework.the preposition 'at' is necessary to connect the action to the specific task being performed.