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View synonyms for wear down

wear down

verb

  1. to consume or be consumed by long or constant wearing, rubbing, etc
  2. 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


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Idioms and Phrases

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]
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Example Sentences

Days and weeks of eating nothing but grilled chicken and vegetables can wear down even the most dedicated of individuals.

From the first he saw that the one and only way to wear down the Spanish resistance was to capture the fortresses.

The surface was turning to slush, but he knew it would wear down into a slippery mass on which the logs would run.

After a time the cutting edges of the file teeth will wear down and it will be necessary to replace the file by another.

His policy was to wear down the Germans by provoking attacks in which they were likely to lose more men than the Allies.

I won't,' said the mouse, 'I'm not going to wear down my teeth for that.'

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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wear another hatWe are such stuff / As dreams are made on