gritting teeth
Bearing down hard
Gritting teeth means clenching the jaw tightly, pressing upper and lower teeth together.
The phrase usually describes enduring something unpleasant through sheer determination: She gritted her teeth and finished the marathon despite the pain.
To do something through gritted teeth is to say or do it while barely containing anger or resentment.
- clenchingSqueezing tightly shut
- jaw clenchingInvoluntary facial muscle tension
- jawBone holding teeth
- biting downClosing jaws with pressure
- determinationFirmness of purpose
tension · frustration · endurance · grinding · bruxism · stress · pain · pain tolerance · grin and bear it · anger · resolve · stiff upper lip · grimace · bite · enamel · pressure · strain · white-knuckled
- stress reactionspanic, fear, fright, terror, horror
- reactionsreaction, response, gasp, wince, flinch
- suppressionrepression, inhibition, restraint, silencing, muzzling
- meltdownsnuclear meltdown, reactor meltdown, meltdown, freak out, losing it
jaw tension and muscular state
gritting teethunclenching
Releasing a tight grip
letting go · giving in · surrendering · releasing · accepting