grind (down)

as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress the workers are being ground down by the long work hours which leave them little time for anything else

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grind (down)
Verb
  • Walt Disney Imagineering updated the storyline of Black Widow Bride Constance Hatchway earlier this year by turning her from an axe murderer who beheads her wealthy husbands into a more mournful figure overwhelmed by the dread of lost love.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Over such spans, change overwhelms continuity; too much simply disappears.
    Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Rough Riders overcame a furious Arlington Heights rally in the third quarter and used a late goal-line stand to shock the Yellow Jackets in a 50-47 thriller.
    Updated October 10, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Johnson’s familiarity is key to bringing audiences close to Kerr and helps the film overcome its potentially alienating storyline.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Public school advocates like William Phillis, a former official at the Ohio Department of Education, fear the change would devastate public schools.
    Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
  • However, in places like Crow Creek Tribal School in South Dakota, Superintendent Rob Coverdale says the fee could devastate hiring efforts.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Grind (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grind%20%28down%29. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

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