grain
gb/ɡɹˈeɪn/ us/ɡɹˈeɪn/
B1
English
~ 6100
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
seeds or crops like wheat or rice
The small hard seeds of plants like wheat or rice that people eat, or the plants grown for these seeds.
Usage pattern:
[someone] eats/grows/trades [grain]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'grain' with 'cereal' and use them in all the same places. 'Cereal' is more common for breakfast food, while 'grain' is often used in health, farming, and nutrition contexts (e.g. 'whole grains').
Synonyms
cereal (General word for plants like wheat, corn, and rice, and sometimes for the food made from them.)
Antonyms
meat (A different major food type; often contrasted with grain-based foods in nutrition, though not a strict logical opposite.)
Collocations
whole grain
|refined grain
|grain products
|grain prices
|grain harvest
|field of grain
Themes
food
|agriculture
|health
|food_drink
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Eating more whole grain has been linked to better heart health.
- The government announced subsidies to support local grain farmers.
- Most of the country's grain is exported to neighboring regions.
- Rice is the main grain in many Asian countries.
- Last year’s drought severely reduced the grain harvest.
Learner examples
- I try to eat whole grain every day.
- This bread is made from whole grain wheat.
- The farmer sells his grain at the market.
- They store the grain in a big building.
- Corn is an important grain for this country.
Noun
B2
entity
2
tiny hard piece of material
A very small, hard piece of something like sand, salt, or sugar.
Usage pattern:
a grain of [substance]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'piece' instead of 'grain' for very small, hard bits (e.g. 'a piece of sugar'). 'Grain' is the normal word for tiny particles of salt, sugar, sand, etc.
Synonyms
granule (Slightly more technical; often used for industrial or scientific contexts (e.g. plastic granules).)
Antonyms
chunk (A piece that is much larger and heavier than a grain.)
Collocations
a grain of sand
|a grain of salt
|a grain of sugar
|individual grains
|fine grains
|loose grains
Themes
nature
|daily life
|daily_life
Examples
- She brushed a few grains of sand off the book.
- Add a few grains of salt to bring out the flavor.
- Fine grains of sugar covered the top of the cake.
- A grain of dust got into the camera and scratched the lens.
- The samples contained tiny grains of metal mixed with the soil.
Learner examples
- There were grains of sand in my shoes.
- He put a few grains of salt on the egg.
- I saw grains of sugar on the table.
- A grain of dirt was in my eye.
- She felt grains of sand under her feet.
Noun
B2
quantity
3
very small amount of something
A very small amount of something you cannot touch, like truth or hope.
Usage pattern:
a grain of [abstract noun]
Common mistake:
Learners may say *'a grain of small truth'* or other adjectives. Usually 'grain' is followed directly by the abstract noun, especially in fixed phrases like 'a grain of truth' or 'a grain of hope'.
Synonyms
trace (Suggests a very small and often hard-to-see amount of something.)
Antonyms
a lot (Informal phrase meaning a large amount, the opposite of a very small amount.)
Collocations
a grain of truth
|a grain of hope
|not a grain of sense
|without a grain of doubt
|even a grain of evidence
Themes
thinking
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- There is a grain of truth in what she says.
- I still hold on to a grain of hope that we can fix this.
- His story didn’t contain a grain of sense.
- The article lacked even a grain of evidence to support its claims.
- There isn’t a grain of doubt in my mind about her honesty.
Learner examples
- There is a grain of truth in his words.
- She still has a grain of hope.
- His idea does not have a grain of sense.
- The report has not a grain of evidence.
- I do not feel a grain of doubt about this.
Noun
C1
property
4
natural pattern in wood or similar
The lines and direction you can see in materials like wood or stone.
Usage pattern:
the grain of [material]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'grain' with 'pattern' in this context. 'Pattern' is more general, while 'grain' is about the natural direction of fibers or lines in a material.
Synonyms
texture (Refers more generally to the feel or look of a surface, not always the direction of fibers.)
Antonyms
smoothness (Describes an even surface where the grain is not visible or noticeable.)
Collocations
the grain of the wood
|fine grain
|coarse grain
|with the grain
|against the grain
|wood grain
Themes
crafts
|technology
|housing
|daily_life
Examples
- Always sand in the direction of the grain of the wood.
- The table’s natural grain gives it a beautiful, organic look.
- Some types of stone have a very visible grain.
- The carpenter studied the grain before cutting the board.
- This floor has a tight, even grain that makes it very attractive.
Learner examples
- He sands the wood with the grain.
- You can see the grain of the wood on the door.
- The grain of this table is very beautiful.
- Cut the board along the grain, not across it.
- The stone has a clear grain running through it.
Noun
B2
property
5
visible roughness in photos or film
Small dots you can see in a photo or film that make the picture look rough or not smooth.
Usage pattern:
[photo/image/film] has [amount] of grain
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes call this 'dots' or 'spots' in a photo. In photography, the usual word for this visual roughness is 'grain' or 'noise'.
Synonyms
noise (Technical term used especially in digital photography for unwanted visual dots or specks.)
Antonyms
clarity (Refers to a clear, sharp image without visible grain.)
Collocations
film grain
|digital grain
|heavy grain
|fine grain
|remove grain
|grainy image
Themes
technology
|art
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- The low light introduced a lot of grain into the photo.
- Some directors like the look of heavy film grain.
- You can reduce digital grain by lowering the ISO setting.
- The image has fine grain that gives it a classic look.
- He used software to remove the grain from the old footage.
Learner examples
- The photo has a lot of grain.
- I like the film grain in this movie.
- Low light can create grain in your pictures.
- This camera makes images with very little grain.
- They removed the grain from the old video.
Noun
technical
C1
quantity
6
unit of weight (about 0.065 g)
A very small unit of weight, used in some technical areas like bullets and medicine, equals about 0.065 grams.
Usage pattern:
[number] grains of [substance]
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'grain' here refers to food or seeds. In this technical use, 'grain' is a fixed measurement unit, not something you can see or eat.
Synonyms
weight unit (A general description, not a specific equivalent; it only explains that 'grain' here is a small unit of weight.)
Antonyms
kilogram (A much larger and more commonly used unit of weight, contrasting with the tiny 'grain'.)
Collocations
200-grain bullet
|five grains of aspirin
|measured in grains
|grains per square inch
Themes
science
|technology
|health
Examples
- The ammunition is labeled as 124-grain hollow points.
- Older medical recipes sometimes call for five grains of a drug.
- In ballistics, bullet weight is often given in grains.
- The pressure is specified in grains per square meter.
- He carefully measured out ten grains of the chemical.
Learner examples
- The bullet weighs 150 grains.
- Some old medicine bottles use grains, not milligrams.
- A grain is a very small unit of weight.
- This chart shows bullet weight in grains.
- The recipe asks for three grains of the powder.
Verb
technical
C2
action
7
form grains or create grain pattern
To become small hard pieces, or to make a surface look like it has a natural grain pattern.
Usage pattern:
[something] grains / [someone] grains [surface]
Common mistake:
This verb is rare in everyday English. Learners sometimes wrongly think it means 'to add grain (food)' to something. In this sense, it is about forming particles or patterns, usually in technical or craft contexts.
Synonyms
granulate (More common in technical or industrial English when talking about forming small particles.)
Antonyms
dissolve (Describes something breaking down into a liquid, the opposite of forming solid grains or a grainy structure.)
Collocations
grained leather
|grained wood
|grained finish
|to grain the surface
|naturally grained
Themes
technology
|crafts
|daily_life
|housing
Examples
- The sugar begins to grain as the syrup cools.
- The leather was artificially grained to make it look more expensive.
- This technique grains the wood to highlight its natural lines.
- If the chocolate is overheated, it can grain and lose its smooth texture.
- They use a special roller to grain the metal surface.
Learner examples
- The hot sugar cools and starts to grain.
- The factory grains the leather to give it a pattern.
- The woodworker grains the wood for a special look.
- The sauce was cooked too long and began to grain.
- They use a machine to grain the metal panels.
Grammar
Dictionary form
grain
IPA
GB/ɡɹˈeɪn/
US/ɡɹˈeɪn/
Syllables & stress
grain (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (grain)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: grain
- Plural: grain, grains
Verb
- Base: grain
- 3rd Person Singular: grains
- Present Participle: graining
- Past: grained
Word family
Forms
grains
noun
graining
verb
grained
verb
Core family
grainy
adjective
Related words
granary
noun
granule
noun
Advanced or less common
granular
adjective
Expressions
a grain of truth
1/ə ɡɹˈeɪn əv tɹˈuθ/
idiom
small part that is true
A very small part of something that is true, even if most of it is not true.
Examples
- There’s a grain of truth in every rumor.
- Her comment had a grain of truth, even if it sounded harsh.
- The story may be exaggerated, but it contains a grain of truth.
against the grain
1/əɡˈɛnst ðə ɡɹˈeɪn/
idiom
in a way someone naturally dislikes
In a way that feels wrong or uncomfortable for someone, or that is very different from what they usually do or like.
Examples
- Being rude goes against the grain with him.
- The decision ran against the grain of public opinion.
- Working in a very strict office goes against the grain for many creative people.
grain elevator
1/ɡɹˈeɪn ˈɛləvˌeɪtɚ/
fixed phrase
tall grain storage building
A tall building where large amounts of grain are stored and moved, often near farms or train lines.
Examples
- Trucks lined up outside the grain elevator during harvest season.
- The town’s skyline is dominated by a massive grain elevator.
- Farmers bring their wheat to the local grain elevator for storage.
grain of sand
1/ɡɹˈeɪn əv sˈænd/
fixed phrase
single tiny piece of sand
One very small piece of sand.
Examples
- Every grain of sand sparkled in the sun.
- A single grain of sand can damage a camera lens.
- The beach was covered in countless grains of sand.
refined grain
1/ɹɪfˈaɪnd ɡɹˈeɪn/
fixed phrase
processed grain with parts removed
Grain that has been processed so that some parts, like the outside layer and the germ, are taken away.
Examples
- Dietitians advise limiting refined grain in your meals.
- White bread is usually made from refined grain.
- Refined grain products often contain less fiber than whole grains.
whole grain
1/hˈoʊl ɡɹˈeɪn/
fixed phrase
grain with all parts kept
Grain that still has all its parts, including the outside layer, so it is less processed and usually healthier.
Examples
- Nutritionists recommend choosing whole grain products whenever possible.
- This cereal is made from 100% whole grain oats.
- Switching to whole grain bread can improve your diet.
whole-grain bread
1/hˈoʊl ɡɹˈeɪn bɹˈɛd/
fixed phrase
bread made from whole grain flour
Bread that is made mostly from whole grain flour, not from white refined flour.
Examples
- She prefers whole-grain bread to white bread.
- The doctor suggested replacing white bread with whole-grain bread.
- Whole-grain bread usually has more fiber and a stronger taste.
go against the grain
1/ɡˈoʊ əɡˈɛnst ðə ɡɹˈeɪn/
idiom
do something unnatural or uncomfortable
To do something that feels wrong, strange, or very different from what a person usually does or believes, or from what most people do.
Examples
- It goes against the grain for me to lie to anyone.
- It goes against the grain for her to lie, even to protect a friend.
- Helping them might go against the grain, but it's the right thing to do.
- Cutting jobs goes against the grain of everything the company stands for.
- Wasting food really goes against the grain in this household.
take something with a grain of salt
1/tˈeɪk sˈʌmθɪŋ wˈɪθ ə ɡɹˈeɪn əv sˈɔlt/
idiom
not completely believe something
To not fully believe something you are told, because you think it may not be true or may be made bigger or better than it really is.
Examples
- You should take his promises with a grain of salt—he often exaggerates.
- You should take his promises with a grain of salt.
- I take all online reviews with a grain of salt.
- Take these early reports with a grain of salt until we have more facts.
- I’d take anything you read on that website with a grain of salt.