grind down

verb

ground down; grinding down; grinds down

transitive

1

: to make (something hard) smaller and smoother by gradual rubbing

2

: to weaken or destroy gradually

Poverty ground her spirit down.

Examples of grind down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But any joy, however brief, was eventually ground down by the ceremony’s anxious need to please. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

The consecutive aerial assaults are designed to grind down civilians by disrupting daily life, Ukrainian officials have said. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Moscow's aim is to grind down civilians by disrupting their daily life, Ukrainian officials say. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

The attack — which wrought havoc across Kyiv — is part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s campaign to grind down a free people’s will to resist. — Mark Montgomery, Washington Post, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grind down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown