grind (down)

verb

Definition of grind (down)next
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

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grind (down)
  1. overwhelm
  2. overcome
  3. devastate
Verb
  • Ukraine has increasingly launched swarms of hundreds of drones in an attempt to overwhelm Russian air defenses.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Those wanting to dip their toe for the first time in either genre won’t be overwhelmed.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of overwhelm
Verb
  • And then, with the game in the balance, Taylor’s two 3-pointers over the Valkyries — against man-to-man defense — was too much to overcome.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • This method could potentially be adapted for industrial manufacturing, but there were still limitations to overcome, with the biggest one being the quality of the material.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcome
Verb
  • Our grandchildren are extremely important to my husband and me, and we are devastated they have been excluded.
    — Abigail Van Buren, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • This past July, hundreds of wildfires devastated a number of regions across Canada.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastate
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.

Browse Nearby Words

grind
grind (down)
grinder
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grind (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grind%20%28down%29. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of expeditious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All