Grinded vs. Ground — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 26, 2023
Grinded is a less common, nonstandard past tense of grind, while ground is the standard past participle.
Difference Between Grinded and Ground
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Grinded is often considered nonstandard or informal as a past tense of grind, whereas ground is the widely accepted past participle.
Ground is the conventional past tense used in most contexts, from coffee grinding to geological terms, while grinded appears infrequently.
In linguistic terms, ground is the historically correct past participle, but grinded has emerged in colloquial usage.
Both grinded and ground stem from the verb grind, but ground is favored in literature, academic writing, and formal speech.
Grinded might be encountered in casual conversation or certain dialects, contrasting with ground's ubiquity and standard usage in English.
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Comparison Chart
Common Usage
Less common, informal
Widely accepted, standard
Historical Usage
Nonstandard, newer usage
Historically correct, traditional usage
Linguistic Status
Considered incorrect in formal usage
Correct in both formal and informal usage
Contexts
Casual conversation, certain dialects
All contexts including literature, science
Pronunciation
"Grind-ed"
"Ground"
Compare with Definitions
Grinded
Past tense of grind (nonstandard)
He grinded the spices manually.
Ground
Surface of the earth
The children played on the ground.
Grinded
Slang for hard work
She grinded her way through college.
Ground
Basis or foundation
His argument had solid ground.
Grinded
Informal past tense of grind
She grinded her teeth in frustration.
Ground
The solid surface of the earth
He lay on the ground
Grinded
Informal for grinding action
They grinded the floor to a smooth finish.
Ground
An area of land or sea used for a specified purpose
Shore dumping can pollute fishing grounds
Grinded
Colloquial usage
He grinded the gears badly driving uphill.
Ground
An area of knowledge or subject of discussion or thought
Third-year courses cover less ground and go into more depth
He shifted the argument on to theoretical grounds of his own choosing
Grinded
(nonstandard) grind
Ground
Factors forming a basis for action or the justification for a belief
They called for a retrial on the grounds of the new evidence
There are some grounds for optimism
Grinded
(video gaming) grind
I grinded for experience before I took on the boss.
Ground
A prepared surface to which paint is applied.
Grinded
Ground.
Ground
Solid particles, especially of coffee, which form a residue; sediment
Machines which presoak the coffee grounds produce a superior cup of coffee
Ground
Electrical connection to the earth.
Ground
Short for ground bass
Ground
Prohibit or prevent (a pilot or an aircraft) from flying
A bitter wind blew from the north-east and the bombers were grounded
Ground
(with reference to a ship) run or go aground
Rather than be blown up, Muller grounded his ship on a coral reef
Ground
Give (something abstract) a firm theoretical or practical basis
The study of history must be grounded in a thorough knowledge of the past
Ground
Place (something) on the ground or touch the ground with (something)
He was penalized two strokes for grounding his club in a bunker
Ground
Connect (an electrical device) with the ground.
Ground
(of a batter) hit a pitched ball so that it bounces on the ground
He grounded to second
Ground
Past and past participle of grind
Ground
Reduced to fine particles by crushing or mincing
Ground cumin
Ground
The solid surface of the earth.
Ground
The floor of a body of water, especially the sea.
Ground
Soil; earth
Level the ground for a lawn.
Ground
Often grounds An area of land designated for a particular purpose
A burial ground.
Parade grounds.
Ground
Often grounds The land surrounding or forming part of a house or another building
A guesthouse on the grounds of the mansion.
Ground
An area or a position that is contested in or as if in battle
The soldiers held their ground against the enemy. Character witnesses helped the defendant stand her ground in the trial.
Ground
Something that serves as a foundation or means of attachment for something else
A ground of white paint under the mural.
Ground
A surrounding area; a background.
Ground
Often grounds The foundation for an argument, belief, or action; a basis.
Ground
Often grounds The underlying condition prompting an action; a cause
Grounds for suspicion.
A ground for divorce.
Ground
The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground.
Look, I found a ten dollar bill on the ground!
Ground
(uncountable) Terrain.
Ground
Soil, earth.
The worm crawls through the ground.
The fox escaped from the hounds by going to ground.
Ground
(countable) The bottom of a body of water.
Ground
Basis, foundation, groundwork, legwork.
Ground
, (epistemic) justification, cause.
You will need to show good grounds for your action.
He could not come on grounds of health, or on health grounds.
Ground
Background, context, framework, surroundings.
Ground
(historical) The area on which a battle is fought, particularly as referring to the area occupied by one side or the other. Often, according to the eventualities, "to give ground" or "to gain ground".
Ground
Advantage given or gained in any contest; e.g. in football, chess, debate or academic discourse.
Ground
The plain surface upon which the figures of an artistic composition are set.
Crimson flowers on a white ground
Ground
(sculpture) A flat surface upon which figures are raised in relief.
Ground
(point lace) The net of small meshes upon which the embroidered pattern is applied.
Brussels ground
Ground
(etching) A gummy substance spread over the surface of a metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except where an opening is made by the needle.
Ground
One of the pieces of wood, flush with the plastering, to which mouldings etc. are attached.
Grounds are usually put up first and the plastering floated flush with them.
Ground
(countable) A soccer stadium.
Manchester United's ground is known as Old Trafford.
Ground
An electrical conductor connected to the earth, or a large conductor whose electrical potential is taken as zero (such as a steel chassis).
Ground
The area of grass on which a match is played (a cricket field); the entire arena in which it is played; the part of the field behind a batsman's popping crease where he can not be run out (hence to make one's ground).
Ground
(music) A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody.
Ground
(music) The tune on which descants are raised; the plain song.
Ground
The pit of a theatre.
Ground
(US) To connect (an electrical conductor or device) to a ground.
Ground
(transitive) To punish, especially a child or teenager, by forcing them to stay at home and/or give up certain privileges.
If you don't clean your room, I'll have no choice but to ground you.
Eric, you are grounded until further notice for lying to us about where you were last night!
My kids are currently grounded from television.
Ground
(transitive) To forbid (an aircraft or pilot) to fly.
Because of the bad weather, all flights were grounded.
Ground
To give a basic education in a particular subject; to instruct in elements or first principles.
Jim was grounded in maths.
Ground
(baseball) To hit a ground ball. Compare fly (verb (regular)) and line (verb).
Ground
To place something on the ground.
Ground
(intransitive) To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed.
The ship grounded on the bar.
Ground
To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly.
Ground
(fine arts) To cover with a ground, as a copper plate for etching, or as paper or other materials with a uniform tint as a preparation for ornament.
Ground
To improve or focus the mental or emotional state of.
I ground myself with meditation.
Ground
Simple past tense and past participle of grind
I ground the coffee up nicely.
Ground
Crushed, or reduced to small particles.
Ground mustard seed
Ground
Processed by grinding.
Lenses of ground glass
Ground
The surface of the earth; the outer crust of the globe, or some indefinite portion of it.
There was not a man to till the ground.
The fire ran along upon the ground.
Ground
Any definite portion of the earth's surface; region; territory; country.
From . . . old Euphrates, to the brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground.
Ground
Land; estate; possession; field; esp. (pl.), the gardens, lawns, fields, etc., belonging to a homestead; as, the grounds of the estate are well kept.
Thy next design is on thy neighbor's grounds.
Ground
The basis on which anything rests; foundation. Hence: The foundation of knowledge, belief, or conviction; a premise, reason, or datum; ultimate or first principle; cause of existence or occurrence; originating force or agency; as, the ground of my hope.
Ground
That surface upon which the figures of a composition are set, and which relieves them by its plainness, being either of one tint or of tints but slightly contrasted with one another; as, crimson Bowers on a white ground.
Ground
A gummy composition spread over the surface of a metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except where an opening is made by the needle.
Ground
One of the pieces of wood, flush with the plastering, to which moldings, etc., are attached; - usually in the plural.
Ground
A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody.
On that ground I'll build a holy descant.
Ground
A conducting connection with the earth, whereby the earth is made part of an electrical circuit.
Ground
Sediment at the bottom of liquors or liquids; dregs; lees; feces; as, coffee grounds.
Ground
The pit of a theater.
There is no way for duty to prevail, and get ground of them, but by bidding higher.
These nine . . . began to give me ground.
Ground
To lay, set, or run, on the ground.
Ground
To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly.
Being rooted and grounded in love.
So far from warranting any inference to the existence of a God, would, on the contrary, ground even an argument to his negation.
Ground
To instruct in elements or first principles.
Ground
To connect with the ground so as to make the earth a part of an electrical circuit.
Ground
To forbid (a pilot) to fly an airplane; - usually as a disciplinary measure, or for reasons of ill health sufficient to interfere with performance.
Ground
To forbid (aircraft) to fly; - usually due to the unsafe condition of the aircraft or lack of conformity to safety regulations; as, the discovery of a crack in the wing of a Trijet caused the whole fleeet to be grounded for inspection.
Ground
To temporarily restrict the activities of (a child), especially social activity outside the house; - usually for bad or unsatisfactory conduct; as, Johnny was grounded for fighting at school and can't go to the movies for two weeks.
Ground
To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed; as, the ship grounded on the bar.
Ground
The solid part of the earth's surface;
The plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land
The earth shook for several minutes
He dropped the logs on the ground
Ground
A rational motive for a belief or action;
The reason that war was declared
The grounds for their declaration
Ground
The loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface;
They dug into the earth outside the church
Ground
A relation that provides the foundation for something;
They were on a friendly footing
He worked on an interim basis
Ground
A position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle);
They gained ground step by step
They fought to regain the lost ground
Ground
The part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground;
He posed her against a background of rolling hills
Ground
Material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use);
The land had never been plowed
Good agricultural soil
Ground
A relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused
Ground
A connection between an electrical device and the earth (which is a zero voltage)
Ground
(art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting
Ground
The first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface
Ground
Fix firmly and stably;
Anchor the lamppost in concrete
Ground
Confine or restrict to the ground;
After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot
Ground
Place or put on the ground
Ground
Instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
Ground
Bring to the ground;
The storm grounded the ship
Ground
Hit or reach the ground
Ground
Throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
Ground
Hit a groundball;
He grounded to the second baseman
Ground
Hit onto the ground
Ground
Cover with a primer; apply a primer to
Ground
Connect to a ground;
Ground the electrical connections for safety reasons
Ground
Use as a basis for; found on;
Base a claim on some observation
Ground
Broken or pounded into small fragments; used of e.g. ore or stone;
Paved with crushed bluestone
Ground glass is used as an abrasive
Ground
Past participle of grind
She ground the coffee beans finely.
Ground
Electricity - reference point
The wire was connected to ground.
Ground
Reduced to small particles
The spices were ground into powder.
Common Curiosities
What does grinded mean?
Grinded is a less common past tense of grind.
In what contexts is ground used?
Ground is used in most contexts including culinary, geological, and electrical.
Can grinded and ground be used interchangeably?
While they have similar meanings, ground is preferred for standard usage.
What does ground mean?
Ground is the standard past participle of grind.
Is grinded correct to use?
Grinded is often considered nonstandard or informal.
Why is grinded less popular?
Grinded is considered nonstandard and informal.
Is grinded used in formal writing?
No, grinded is typically avoided in formal writing.
What is the origin of these terms?
Both come from the verb grind, with different historical developments.
Is ground used in everyday language?
Yes, ground is widely used in everyday language.
Is ground used in scientific contexts?
Yes, ground is used in scientific and technical contexts.
What is a real-life example of using ground?
"She ground the spices for the recipe."
Is grinded appropriate in academic contexts?
Grinded is typically avoided in academic writing.
Can ground refer to the earth's surface?
Yes, ground can also mean the surface of the earth.
Is grinded recognized in English dictionaries?
Grinded is recognized but often noted as nonstandard.
How are grinded and ground pronounced?
Grinded is pronounced "grind-ed," and ground is pronounced "ground."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
