Past Tense of Grind | Use & Examples
Most dictionaries indicate that the correct past tense and past participle of the irregular verb grind is “ground.” Some recognize “grinded” as a widely used alternative, but it would be wise to avoid it in formal or academic writing.
| Formal English | Informal English |
|---|---|
| The barista ground the coffee with expert precision.
The pressure of the job had ground Joe down over the years. The glass had been ground to produce an opaque finish. |
Josh grinded the rail on his skateboard like a pro.
It wasn’t pretty, but the team grinded out the win. Stella winced as her boyfriend grinded the gears of her Mustang. |
Table of contents
Grinded
Grinded is the informal simple past and past participle of the verb grind. It is particularly used in American English and has specific relevance in sport, skateboarding, and a particular style of dancing.
Sam had air-walked, ollied, and grinded her way to victory in the skateboard event.
Ground
Ground is the past tense and past participle of the verb “grind.” It is the form that is accepted in both formal and informal contexts.
Ground is also an adjective meaning “something that has been ground” (e.g., “I love the smell of ground coffee when you first open the packet”).
I had ground the coffee too fine, and the machine stopped working.
The solids had been ground before being dissolved in water.
Frequently asked questions about past tense of grind
- Is grinded a word?
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Grinded is sometimes used as the past tense of grind. It should not be used in formal writing or academic English.
- For some residents, the noise from the skatepark was too much as the users grinded their decks for hours on end.
- With finals just around the corner, the seniors grinded away reviewing the material.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker is a great way of checking the accuracy of your writing.
- Is it grinded or ground?
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Depending on the context, you can use grinded or ground as the past tense of grind.
Grinded is more common in American English and is widely considered acceptable in informal contexts. It should be avoided in academic writing, and the conventional form ground should be used instead.
You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure your spelling and grammar are accurate.
