American English pronunciation

How to pronounce grain

IPA transcription: [ɡ'ɹeɪn]

Hear “grain” pronounced

[ɡ'ɹeɪn]

Quality: 1.00

[ɡ'ɹeɪn]

Quality: 1.00

[ɡ'ɹeɪn]

Quality: 1.00

Noun

  • a relatively small granular particle of a substance

    “a grain of sand”

    “a grain of sugar”

  • foodstuff prepared from the starchy grains of cereal grasses

  • the side of leather from which the hair has been removed

  • a weight unit used for pearls or diamonds: 50 mg or 1/4 carat

  • 1/60 dram; equals an avoirdupois grain or 64.799 milligrams

  • 1/7000 pound; equals a troy grain or 64.799 milligrams

  • dry seed-like fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g. wheat, barley, Indian corn

  • a cereal grass

    “wheat is a grain that is grown in Kansas”

  • the smallest possible unit of anything

    “there was a grain of truth in what he said”

    “he does not have a grain of sense”

  • the direction, texture, or pattern of fibers found in wood or leather or stone or in a woven fabric

    “saw the board across the grain”

  • the physical composition of something (especially with respect to the size and shape of the small constituents of a substance)

    “breadfruit has the same texture as bread”

    “sand of a fine grain”

    “fish with a delicate flavor and texture”

    “a stone of coarse grain”

Verb

  • thoroughly work in

    “His hands were grained with dirt”

  • paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood

  • form into grains

  • become granular

Usage examples

  • Whatman paper is grained, strong and rigid, without laid lines.
  • Diana is suffering from migraine again.
  • We need grain to keep our mules healthy.
  • During the Revolutionary War it supplied grain to George Washington's troops.
  • There are two main sources of these grains.
  • We need grain to keep our mules healthy.
  • Sextus had occupied the province of Sicily, which provided much of Rome's grain supply.
  • Thus differences in lithology, grain size, and preexisting fabrics determine a different rheological response.
  • "Grit" is often applied to sandstones composed of angular sand grains.
  • Granitoid is a general, descriptive field term for lighter-colored, coarse-grained igneous rocks.