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

Sharp increases there are raising worries that a long-term surge could grind down the global economy, exhaust households’ ability to spend and push interest rates higher. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026

Investors are growing concerned that a prolonged spike could strain households' ability to spend, grind down the global economy and push interest rates higher. —CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026

Oil prices have soared as Iranian attacks have disrupted traffic through the strait, and global stock markets have been hammered over worries that the spike in oil prices may grind down the world economy. —Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026

Crews will first grind down the old surface and then lay down new asphalt in a project that officials say will run until mid-summer. —Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 3 Mar. 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