An "extra" job or task that you have to do in addition to your regular one is a grind. You can also use it to describe something that's difficult and tiring.
When we say someone has a grind, we usually mean they're working an extra job, often at night or on the weekends, just to make ends meet. It might be flipping burgers at a restaurant or driving for a ride-sharing service. They do this "on top" of their regular 9-to-5 job. The word can also imply that something is hard and exhausting - like studying for exams all day every day. In some cases, it's used to describe an activity that you're not really passionate about, but you have to do anyway.
How common is "grind"?
Word grind is considered uncommon in modern English. It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions
noun
The act of reducing to powder, or of sharpening, by friction.
Something that has been reduced to powder, something that has been ground.
A specific degree of pulverization of coffee beans.
Example: This bag contains espresso grind.
A tedious and laborious task.
Example: This homework is a grind.
A grinding trick on a skateboard or snowboard.
One who studies hard; a swot.
Grindcore (subgenre of heavy metal)
Hustle
1 / 8
chore
verb
To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.
To shape with the force of friction.
Example: grind a lens; grind an axe
To remove material by rubbing with an abrasive surface.
To become ground, pulverized, or polished by friction.
Example: Steel grinds to a sharp edge.
To move with much difficulty or friction; to grate.
To slide the flat portion of a skateboard or snowboard across an obstacle such as a railing.
To oppress, hold down or weaken.
To rotate the hips erotically.
To dance in a sexually suggestive way with both partners in very close proximity, often pressed against each other.
To repeat a task a large number of times in a row to achieve a specific goal.
To operate by turning a crank.
Example: to grind an organ
To produce mechanically and repetitively as if by turning a crank.
To automatically format and indent code.
To instill through repetitive teaching.
Example: Grinding lessons into students' heads does not motivate them to learn.
To eat.
Example: Eh, brah, let's go grind.
To work or study hard; to hustle or drudge.
To annoy or irritate (a person); to grind one's gears.
