grind down

phrasal verb

ground down; grinding down; grinds down

: to make (something hard) smaller and smoother by gradually rubbing off tiny bits

The old dog's teeth had been ground down by use.

: 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 There isn’t as much value in grinding down starters, either, with a string of talented relief arms usually beckoning in the bullpen. —

Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2024 Israel has spent a year and spent considerable money and political capital grinding down Gaza. —

Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2024 In 2022, Russia’s initial plan to capture Kyiv and decapitate Ukraine’s leadership failed, and its current approach of grinding down Ukraine’s resistance through attritional war is just as unlikely to succeed. —

Alexander Vindman, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to grind down Ukraine's appetite for the fight and sap the West's support for Kyiv by drawing out the conflict. —

Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 25 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grind down

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grind down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.