wear down

British  

verb

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

2. to overcome or be overcome gradually by persistent effort

---

wear down Idioms  

1. 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

And because of L.A.’s moderate climate, the ones here stay the way they are; whereas if you get 18 feet of winter snow, you tend to wear down the diner floor, seats, everything.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet elevated price increases have lingered, wearing down shoppers and frustrating policymakers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lucky that she is forgiving and understanding, and that she knows how to wear down anyone’s defenses.

From Literature

But an indefatigable Volkanovski's agility and relentless striking eventually wore down his flagging challenger, who was unable to land a knockout in the final round.

From Barron's

Lawyers representing immigrants in prolonged detention say the government is keeping people locked up in hopes of wearing down their clients so they abandon their fight to remain in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times