comminute

verb

ˈkä-mə-ˌnüt How to pronounce comminute (audio)
Definition of comminutenext
as in to grind
to reduce to fine particles eons of incessant pounding by the waves have comminuted the once-rocky shoreline into a bed of fine-grained sand

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of comminute The report of displacement (out of alignment) is not as worrisome as if the fracture was comminuted (pieces). — Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 5 Nov. 2017 Also, this prognosis is rooted in my hopefulness the fracture is not comminuted (in multiple pieces), as that might prolong the timeline by a couple of weeks. — Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comminute
  1. grind
  2. pound
  3. crush
  4. powder
  5. beat
  6. mill
  7. pulverize
  8. disintegrate
Verb
  • Hitler wanted more dead, but his early lightning victories—Poland beaten in weeks, France in forty days—had turned into a grinding nightmare for the Nazis.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The Raunchiest Miley Cyrus shocked viewers by stripping down to a nude bikini top and briefs and grinding, twerking and thrusting on fellow performer Robin Thicke at the 2013 show in one of the raciest performances in MTV history.
    — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of grind
Verb
  • Guadagnino has always been skilled in his choice of music (Sufjan Stevens’ alt-pop in Call Me by Your Name, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ pounding EDM in Challengers).
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Still The Hairy Ape is, in one sense, a long, furious solo — a man pounding his head against a piano while accompanied by the orchestra — and Beavers ably carries its weight through to the finale.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • This sees the star's core, with a mass between one and two times that of the sun, crush down to a width of around 12 miles (20 kilometers).
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Agrumato is a proprietary method of crushing whole ingredients with the olives to impart robust flavors.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of crush
Verb
  • The woman’s head of auburn curls, so neatly assembled and without a hair out of place, was flung to the side and her cheek, powdered with rouge, was now as red as a sunset.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • And then Hegseth was off to be powdered and rouged and hair-slicked.
    — Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 25 July 2026
Definition of powder
Verb
  • Built along a verdant slope edging Bodrum’s Paradise Bay, this contemporary property offers hard-to-beat vistas.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Hastert became a congressional candidate in 1986 and beat the Democrat with 52% of the vote, his smallest margin of victory in a congressional race.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of beat
Verb
  • Breakfast includes smart versions of the usual suspects of avocado toast, bagels and lox, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch is grab-and-go sandwiches, asfew guests are milling around mid-day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The olives are co-milled with Meyer lemons, also grown on-site, so the final product is actually citrus-flavored—no chemicals involved.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of mill
Verb
  • Peña pulverized it onto the train tracks that run above left field.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Outside, addicts wander peg-legged in the pulverizing triple-digit late summer heat, past attorneys in cream sport coats and copper-red ties.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of pulverize
Verb
  • Studying an intact oarfish is remarkably difficult because their bodies typically disintegrate into brittle segments upon death.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The white outer layer started to disintegrate before the audience’s eyes, eventually washing away to reveal a fire-red corseted bodysuit and miniskirt underneath—a pleasingly literal interpretation of the tour’s title.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of disintegrate

Browse Nearby Words

commingling
comminute
comminuted
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Cite this Entry

“Comminute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comminute. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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