wear down

verb

1. to consume or be consumed by long or constant wearing, rubbing, etc
2. to overcome or be overcome gradually by persistent effort

Idioms and Phrases

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

Their steps wear down the grass further, which makes the visual cue stronger and creates a positive feedback loop.

From Los Angeles Times

“Can the Yankees throw enough strikes as a staff? And will the Dodgers lineup wear down the Yankees’ pitching as a whole?

From Los Angeles Times

The line wore down a bit in the second half, yielding both of its sacks as an offense that once looked lively managed only 106 yards over the final two quarters.

From Los Angeles Times

The term has been used to describe the way Moscow sends waves of soldiers forward relentlessly to try to wear down Ukrainian forces and expose their locations to Russian artillery.

From BBC

Meanwhile, his city only cringed and thought, yeah, we’ve seen these sorts of great bursts from him before, but he wears down without help.

From Los Angeles Times