wear down
Britishverb
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to consume or be consumed by long or constant wearing, rubbing, etc
-
to overcome or be overcome gradually by persistent effort
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
As these sponges wear down, they can release tiny plastic particles into the environment.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 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
Seems only right to show a bit of respect at a funeral, maybe a step up from what I would wear down the street.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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.
