grind down
phrasal verb
ground down; grinding down; grinds down
1
: to make (something hard) smaller and smoother by gradually rubbing off tiny bits
The old dog's teeth had been ground down by use.
2
: to weaken or destroy (someone or something) gradually
Poverty ground her spirit down.
These people have been ground down by years of oppression.
Examples of grind down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Younger rocks, from when Snowball Earth was thawing, had a narrower range of mineral ages, and more fragile grains were absent, suggesting flowing water had dissolved material that was previously ground down.
—
Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
So the Russians were able to gradually grind down the 72nd Mechanized Brigade and ultimately force its few surviving troops to retreat from Vuhledar in late September.
—David Axe, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
The move revived hope on Wall Street that Trump may avoid a worst-case trade war that grinds down economies and sends inflation higher.
—Damian J. Troise, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Moscow's extensive equipment losses have resulted in Putin grinding down Soviet-era stockpiles.
—Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind down
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Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
So the Russians were able to gradually grind down the 72nd Mechanized Brigade and ultimately force its few surviving troops to retreat from Vuhledar in late September.
—David Axe, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
The move revived hope on Wall Street that Trump may avoid a worst-case trade war that grinds down economies and sends inflation higher.
—Damian J. Troise, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Moscow's extensive equipment losses have resulted in Putin grinding down Soviet-era stockpiles.
—Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grind down
Cite this Entry
“Grind down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grind%20down. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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