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
And so the Jays did, piling up one quality at-bat after another, grinding down Snell, pounding the Dodgers’ suspect bullpen.
—
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Once-influential leftist factions—the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine—have been ground down by decades of arrests, exile, funding collapse, and irrelevance.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Endurance wasn’t crushed all at once, but instead ground down into a twist of wood and metal over the course of several weeks, like a rabbit in the clutches of a boa constrictor.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 7 Oct. 2025
Zelensky knows that in the long run, Russia’s superior numbers and weaponry will grind down Ukrainian resistance.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
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Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Once-influential leftist factions—the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine—have been ground down by decades of arrests, exile, funding collapse, and irrelevance.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Endurance wasn’t crushed all at once, but instead ground down into a twist of wood and metal over the course of several weeks, like a rabbit in the clutches of a boa constrictor.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside, 7 Oct. 2025
Zelensky knows that in the long run, Russia’s superior numbers and weaponry will grind down Ukrainian resistance.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind down
Cite this Entry
“Grind down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grind%20down. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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