Dictionary

grit one's teeth en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. To clench one's teeth together tightly because of pain, anger, frustration, or self-assurance.
   • [Shield Knight] LOOKED WITH DREAD THROUGH THE EYES OF THE ENCHANTRESS. SHE WAS TRAPPED AGAIN! SHIELD KNIGHT GRIT HER TEETH. SHOVEL KNIGHT WOULDN'T GIVE UP, AND NEITHER WOULD SHE. 2019 December 10, Yacht Club Games, "Story" (Shield Knight), in Shovel Knight Showdown (version 4.1), Nintendo Switch, scene: ending
2. (idiomatic) To face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation and deal with it.
   • There's a storm coming, so I grit my teeth and start rowing with all my might.
   • Japan's revolutionary New Tokaido Line, the 310-mile, 150 m.p.h. route between Tokyo and Osaka that is due to open for passenger traffic in October, has run into the same kind of budgetary trouble that held up our own LMR electrification, though the Japanese Government, unlike our own, has apparently gritted its teeth and allowed the project to go ahead to planned completion. 1964 July, “Tokaido line trouble”, in Modern Railways, page 52:

Forms

Relateds

bit between one's teeth

Synonyms

face up to · bite the bullet · grin and bear it · suck it up

Translations (64)

uk сти́снути зу́би (clench one's teeth together) · it digrignare i denti (clench one's teeth together) · fr serrer les dents (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · be сашчамі́ць зу́бы (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · el σφίγγω τα δόντια (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · es castañear (clench one's teeth together) · th บดฟัน (clench one's teeth together) · ko 이를 악물다 (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · be сашчамі́ць зу́бы (clench one's teeth together) · nb bite tennene sammen (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · pl zaciskać zęby (clench one's teeth together) · sv bita ihop (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · ru скрипе́ть зуба́ми (clench one's teeth together) · uk зці́пити зу́би (clench one's teeth together) · ko 이를 악물다 (clench one's teeth together) · uk сти́снути зу́би (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · tl lumangutngot (clench one's teeth together) · ar صَرَّ أَسْنَانَهُ (clench one's teeth together) · th ขบฟัน (clench one's teeth together) · it stringere i denti (clench one's teeth together) · uk зці́плювати зу́би (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · pl zacisnąć zęby (clench one's teeth together) · pl zaciskać zęby (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · ja 歯軋りする (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · th กัดฟัน (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · he חָרַק שִׁנַּיִם (clench one's teeth together) · fr serrer les dents (clench one's teeth together) · tl pagngalatin (clench one's teeth together) · nl knarsetanden (clench one's teeth together) · fi kiristellä hampaita (clench one's teeth together) · th กัดฟัน (clench one's teeth together) · nb bite tennene sammen (clench one's teeth together) · ja 歯を食いしばる (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · ru сти́снуть зу́бы (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · el σφίγγω τα δόντια (clench one's teeth together) · de in den sauren Apfel beißen (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · sv bita ihop (tänderna) (clench one's teeth together) · ru скрежета́ть зуба́ми (clench one's teeth together) · fi purra hammasta (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · uk зці́пити зу́би (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · ru сти́снуть зу́бы (clench one's teeth together) · fi kiristellä hampaitaan (clench one's teeth together) · ru сти́скивать зу́бы (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · be сашчамля́ць зу́бы (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · it stringere i denti (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · fi purra hammasta (clench one's teeth together) · de die Zähne zusammenbeißen (clench one's teeth together) · uk зці́плювати зу́би (clench one's teeth together) · es apretar los dientes (clench one's teeth together) · nl door de zure appel heen bijten (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · cmn 咬緊牙關 /咬紧牙关 (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · es castañetear (clench one's teeth together) · pt ranger os dentes (clench one's teeth together) · ary غزز سنانه (clench one's teeth together) · mt għażżaż snienu (clench one's teeth together) · es carraquear (clench one's teeth together) · de die Zähne zusammenbeißen (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · es dentellar (clench one's teeth together) · sv gnissla tänder (clench one's teeth together) · ja 歯を食いしばる (clench one's teeth together) · ru сти́скивать зу́бы (clench one's teeth together) · cmn 咬牙 (clench one's teeth together) · pl zacisnąć zęby (face up to a difficult or disagreeable situation, and deal with it) · be сашчамля́ць зу́бы (clench one's teeth together)