Home Dictionary Ggrain

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grain

When referring to cereal crops like wheat or corn, "grain" is usually an uncountable noun (e.g., "The silo is full of grain"). When referring to individual seeds or small particles, it becomes a countable noun (e.g., "a few grains of sand"). In the phrase "against the grain," it refers both literally to the direction of wood fibers and figuratively to doing something that goes against one's natural inclinations.

💬Casual Conversation

🎬Aboard the freighter, Lt. Vega is in the cockpit while Kip is elbow-deep in a ventilation shaft.

Kip

The synth-wood paneling is splitting. I can't sand it against the grain.

Lt. Vega

Stop messing around and just patch it. We're behind schedule.

💡

Kip is obsessing over the technical detail of the wood texture (grain) to avoid a harder task, while Vega uses 'messing around' (phrasal verb meaning wasting time) to shut down his perfectionism.

Meanings

noun

Wheat or any other cultivated cereal crop used as food.

"The farmers harvested the grain in late summer."

noun

A small, hard seed of a food plant.

"A single grain of rice fell onto the floor."

noun

The longitudinal arrangement or direction of fibers in wood or the texture of stone.

"It is easier to sand the wood when you go with the grain."

noun

A very small amount of a quality or feeling.

"There is not a grain of truth in his statement."

verb (transitive)

To form into grains or crystals.

"The chemical process helps to grain the substance uniformly."

Last Updated: May 22, 2026•Report an Error