English Reference
Idiom idiom

grind down

Meaning

To weaken someone's morale over a long period.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples
SIMPLE

“The long hours at work really grind me down.”

CONTEXTUAL

“Constant criticism from his boss began to grind him down until he finally decided to quit.”

COMPLEX

“The relentless pressure of the legal battle served only to grind down his spirit, leaving him exhausted and ready to accept any settlement.”

Anchors to
Related idioms4entries
  1. 01

    bump and grind

    A sexually suggestive dance involving exaggerated hip movements, especially a striptease dance.

  2. 02

    daily grind

    The difficult, routine, or monotonous tasks of daily work.

  3. 03

    grind one's gears

    To annoy or irritate one.

  4. 04

    grind the corn

    To perform the coital alignment technique

Last updated August 10, 2026