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
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.
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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
Soundtrack Movies All month, Criterion Channel The ’90s witnessed a music upheaval not seen since the ’60s — hip hop, punk, metal, indie rock, and electronica all went mainstream without grinding down their jagged edges.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 2 Aug. 2025
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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
Soundtrack Movies All month, Criterion Channel The ’90s witnessed a music upheaval not seen since the ’60s — hip hop, punk, metal, indie rock, and electronica all went mainstream without grinding down their jagged edges.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 2 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 22 Oct. 2025.
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