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
  • As the infection overwhelms the body, severe drops in blood pressure further starve vital organs of oxygen.
    Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025
  • That’s a fast track to overwhelm, a broken budget, and frustration.
    Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Outperforming some of them on the pitch is one thing, but Newcastle cannot yet overcome the off-field strength of the ‘Big Six’.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Part of the presentation focused on helping people overcome their fear of being ostracized for having plants seen as too wild.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The disaster is remembered not just for its winds, but for the crushing surge of water that devastated rural Louisiana parishes and tore through the heart of New Orleans.
    Sarah Alegre, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The children were among the 27 campers and counselors who died at the Christian all-girls’ camp during the flooding that caused the Guadalupe River to rise to historic levels, devastating the Texas Hill Country.
    Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2025.

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