wear down

British

verb

to consume or be consumed by long or constant wearing, rubbing, etc
to overcome or be overcome gradually by persistent effort

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

wear down Idioms

Diminish, weaken, or tire by relentless pressure, as in The heels of these shoes are quite worn down, or Her constant nagging about getting a new car wore down his resistance. [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The time it took Liverpool to wear down Newcastle over striker Alexander Isak's deal last summer is fresh in the mind.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

But today, as A.I. widgets ooze through every crack of our digital lives, our reflexive outrage at the overreach is starting to wear down.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

He once bought a $117 pair of MSCHF’s Gobstomper shoes whose soles wear down to reveal differing colors in a nod to the hard-shell candy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

As mitochondria naturally wear down over time, protecting them could help older adults to fight infections and stay healthier.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2025

Meanwhile the heat was beginning to wear down some of the firemen.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023