Meatgrinder

noun, slang

noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A device for cutting meat into very small pieces.

    "Keep your fingers away from the throat of the meatgrinder."

  2. 2
    An activity with a high casualty or attrition rate, such as a military battle or an occupational or athletic activity. informal

    "The mountainous second day of the race was a real meatgrinder, with 20% of racers dropping out."

  3. 3
    A process that is likely to be injurious in a non-physical way. informal

    "Senate confirmation hearings are a real meatgrinder, discouraging people from government service."

Example

More examples

"Keep your fingers away from the throat of the meatgrinder."

Etymology

From meat + grinder.

More for "meatgrinder"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.