Phrasal verb
grind out
Definition
phrasal verb. to produce something slowly and with a lot of effort, especially when the work is boring or difficult.
phrasal verb. to produce something through laborious, repetitive effort; often implies a lack of inspiration or a mechanical process of completion.
Examples
“He had to grind out a ten-page report by morning.”
“The team managed to grind out a narrow victory despite playing poorly for most of the match.”
“The novelist spent years grinding out chapters in a windowless basement, driven more by discipline than by any remaining creative spark.”
Examples
simple
“He had to grind out a ten-page report by morning.”
contextual
“The team managed to grind out a narrow victory despite playing poorly for most of the match.”
complex
“The novelist spent years grinding out chapters in a windowless basement, driven more by discipline than by any remaining creative spark.”
Usage
usually takes a noun object like 'work', 'results', 'a win', or 'a report'.
Teaching tip
connect the metaphor to a mill or machine 'grinding' to help students visualize the slow, difficult, and mechanical nature of the work.
Pitfall
He grinded out the work.
He ground out the work.
the past tense of 'grind' is 'ground', even when used in this phrasal verb form.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out
Separability
optional
Pattern
grind + out + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/grind-out