as in overwhelming
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 grinding (down)
Verb
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The Hull’s statement says MacPherson’s, the largest distributor of art supplies in North America, filed for bankruptcy, throwing the supply chain into chaos and overwhelming the only remaining distributor.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2026 -
As her maximalist decor evolved, what once was fun and energizing turned into visual clutter, the term for what happens when too many objects, colors, shapes or details compete for attention, overwhelming the brain.—
Jolie Kerr,
Washington Post,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Through the implementation of strong border policies, fentanyl trafficking across the southern border has been slashed in half, leading to fewer overdose deaths devastating American families.—
Gabe Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Feb. 2026
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The Los Angeles County district attorney is investigating whether Southern California Edison should be criminally prosecuted for its actions in last year’s devastating Eaton wildfire, which killed 19 people and left thousands of families homeless, the company said Wednesday.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The rehabilitation itself will be expensive, and its success will depend on wooing private investors and overcoming a half-decade of adverse publicity.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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His Ducks rallied to beat two-time defending conference champion Edmonton in their return from the Olympic break, overcoming a pair of two-goal deficits and another one-goal deficit during their frenetic four-goal third period.—
Greg Beacham,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the material appears to shift from soft to hard, the outward and downward movements of the tubes no longer suggest the gentle pressure of filling and escaping air, but imply a decidedly more violent bending and crushing of metal, as if the tubes had been pushed out of shape against their will.—
Gordon Hughes,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
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But in 2015, a company started repurposing the slag by breaking the rock apart and crushing it down to make sandy material for industrial uses.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Grinding (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grinding%20%28down%29. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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