wear down
Britishverb
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to consume or be consumed by long or constant wearing, rubbing, etc
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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.
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 won’t wear down popular and respected Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch right away—he’ll wait.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025
This Dodger team doesn’t work the count, they don’t wear down the pitcher, they don’t own the moment.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
Inside the building, the linoleum-floored hall, unlike the halls of the Mountain View Inn, was a broad smooth highway with no rough carpets to wear down the already thin tires of a little motorcycle.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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.
