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
It was already ground down from multiple rounds of destruction and rebuilding, poor governance, and the Israeli-Egyptian economic blockade; some of the buildings that were bombed had been constructed out of concrete from previous buildings that had been bombed.
—
Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
As those lyrics suggest, Segarra is making a class critique about the way that our society grinds down on the vulnerable.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2024
The catamaran cuts up the Kona coast past striking black-sand beaches made by lava boulders that have been ground down by the waves over the past 150 years.
—Hugh Garvey, Sunset Magazine, 1 Jan. 2024
After the failure of Ukraine to pierce Russian front lines in the east and south last year, Moscow has been trying to grind down Ukrainian forces just as Kyiv ponders a major new mobilization.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2024
In an intermission interview on TNT, Maurice said the goal of the first 20 minutes was to grind down the Penguins and then turn up the offensive intensity after the opening frame.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
The Fed has already pulled its main interest rate to the highest level since 2001 in hopes of grinding down high inflation.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024
Licking the plate is out, as is grasping the toast firmly in your fist and using it to grind down everything in its way.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
The inflation data helped to buoy hopes on Wall Street that the Fed may actually pull off the balancing act of slowing the economy and hurting investment prices just enough to grind down inflation, but not so much as to cause a painful recession.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023
Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
As those lyrics suggest, Segarra is making a class critique about the way that our society grinds down on the vulnerable.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2024
The catamaran cuts up the Kona coast past striking black-sand beaches made by lava boulders that have been ground down by the waves over the past 150 years.
—Hugh Garvey, Sunset Magazine, 1 Jan. 2024
After the failure of Ukraine to pierce Russian front lines in the east and south last year, Moscow has been trying to grind down Ukrainian forces just as Kyiv ponders a major new mobilization.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2024
In an intermission interview on TNT, Maurice said the goal of the first 20 minutes was to grind down the Penguins and then turn up the offensive intensity after the opening frame.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
The Fed has already pulled its main interest rate to the highest level since 2001 in hopes of grinding down high inflation.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024
Licking the plate is out, as is grasping the toast firmly in your fist and using it to grind down everything in its way.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
The inflation data helped to buoy hopes on Wall Street that the Fed may actually pull off the balancing act of slowing the economy and hurting investment prices just enough to grind down inflation, but not so much as to cause a painful recession.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023
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.
Dictionary Entries Near grind down
Cite this Entry
“Grind down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grind%20down. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share