Meanings
plural grindhouses · alternative grind house · alternative grind-house
- USbroadcastingA low-budget film theater that shows primarily exploitation films
For Mr. Bava[…], the road from the grindhouse to the art house — or at least, the virtual art house of the DVD player — has turned out to be surprisingly, encouragingly short.
2007 April 10, Dave Kehr, “New DVDs”, in New York Times
Origin
From grind + house. * Perhaps from the grinding or cranking motion employed by early projectionists. * Perhaps from bump and grind (dubious). The term may originally have been used for burlesque houses in the 1940s.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
grindhouse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grindhouse
“grindhouse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grindhouse. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “grindhouse,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/grindhouse.
Source: grindhouse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.