as in to wear out
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Recent Examples of wear down
Russia has been pounding Ukraine's critical infrastructure, hoping to wear down public resistance to the war while leaving many around the country having to endure the dead of winter without heat.
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Aamer Madhani and Susie Blann The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Those five players combined for 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 10 rebounds while helping wear down a Texas team that didn’t get much from its reserves.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
Even McDaniels’ attempts to wear down Houston’s pass rush by running straight at it, with a season-high 76% run rate on first down, mostly failed.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
The drill was part of an intensifying military pressure campaign to intimidate the Taiwanese leadership, demoralize the population, and wear down the island’s resistance to unification with the mainland.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wear down
Aamer Madhani and Susie Blann The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Those five players combined for 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 10 rebounds while helping wear down a Texas team that didn’t get much from its reserves.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
Even McDaniels’ attempts to wear down Houston’s pass rush by running straight at it, with a season-high 76% run rate on first down, mostly failed.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 20 Jan. 2026
The drill was part of an intensifying military pressure campaign to intimidate the Taiwanese leadership, demoralize the population, and wear down the island’s resistance to unification with the mainland.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wear down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wear down
Verb
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At the same time, Brockett emphasizes, producers are cognizant of not wearing out their welcome with viewers.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026
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After this weekend, when the Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild hand out their highly predictive precursors, the final shape of the Oscar race should be (reasonably) clear — and nominees worn out by months of campaigning will be breathing a sigh of relief.—
Matt Brennan,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Today's top stories NPR's senior political editor/correspondent Domenico Montanaro joins the newsletter today to break down the State of the Union address.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
25 Feb. 2026
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Larger mulch pieces like bark take longer to decompose, and smaller types break down faster.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wear down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wear%20down. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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