Dictionary

wear down en · VERB

Meanings

1. To cause (someone) physical or mental fatigue.
   • He tried to wear down the bowlers before lunch so he could attack the bowlers after lunch.
   • The eight hour shift in the mine began to wear Tim down after a few months.
   • (sports) To make the opponent tired after using a strategy while conserving own energy to attack later.
2. To eventually persuade or defeat (someone) through persistent effort.
   • Congratulations, you got your shot in You wore me down 2015 May 12, Rachel Platten, Jon Levine, Scott Jacoby, “Congratulations”, in Fight Song, performed by Rachel Platten:
   • At first she refused to buy the kids sweets, but eventually they wore her down.
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see wear, down.

Forms

Coordinates

grind down

Relateds

noli illegitimi carborundum

Translations (13)

de verschleißen (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · fi rasittaa (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · cmn 使厭煩 /使厌烦 (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · ru изма́тывать (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · fr fatiguer (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · ru измота́ть (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · nl verslijten (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · ru утоми́ть (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · ru утомля́ть (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · cmn 使疲勞 /使疲劳 (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · es desgastar (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · pt gastar (to cause physical or mental fatigue) · la fatīgō (to cause physical or mental fatigue)