grind down
phrasal verb
ground down; grinding down; grinds down
1
: to make (something hard) smaller and smoother by gradually rubbing off tiny bits
The old dog's teeth had been ground down by use.
2
: to weaken or destroy (someone or something) gradually
Poverty ground her spirit down.
These people have been ground down by years of oppression.
Examples of grind down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Minnesota lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals because its offense ground down around Anthony Edwards.
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Ben Golliver, Washington Post, 27 June 2024
Advertisement The wall that once separated the living room from the kitchen and dining area was removed to open up the interiors, and the concrete floors, which had several layers of paint, were ground down and repolished — a no-nonsense move that suited the family’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024
High interest rates meant to grind down inflation have hurt the housing market and manufacturing in particular, while lower-income households are showing signs of struggling to keep up with still-rising prices.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 June 2024
Yet the Algerians found ways to grind down the French army and to sap support in Paris for the war.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for grind down 
Ben Golliver, Washington Post, 27 June 2024
Advertisement The wall that once separated the living room from the kitchen and dining area was removed to open up the interiors, and the concrete floors, which had several layers of paint, were ground down and repolished — a no-nonsense move that suited the family’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2024
High interest rates meant to grind down inflation have hurt the housing market and manufacturing in particular, while lower-income households are showing signs of struggling to keep up with still-rising prices.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 June 2024
Yet the Algerians found ways to grind down the French army and to sap support in Paris for the war.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2022
See all Example Sentences for grind down
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grind down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Grind down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grind%20down. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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