wear down

verb

wore down; worn down; wearing down; wears down

transitive verb

: to weary and overcome by persistent resistance or pressure

Examples of wear down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Finishing one small piece could restore the confidence that endless preparation has been quietly wearing down. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026

The thespian’s blonde tresses were worn down in voluminous waves that framed her features. — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2026

Clemson had possession of the ball for nine minutes longer than Alabama and ran ninety-nine offensive plays, slowly wearing down the Tide’s talented defense. — John Talty, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026

But when the fourth quarter started, the Rainbow Warriors wore down the Cardinal with long, methodical drives and turned that into a brief lead. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wear down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown