wear down

wear down
wear down
Fig. to break down with wear; to erode. •

The steps had worn down so much that each one was curved and slanted dangerously.

* * *
,[wear off] or[wear away] {v.} 1. To remove or disappear little by little through use, time, or the action of weather. * /Time and weather have worn off the name on the gravestone./ * /The eraser has worn off my pencil./ * /The grass has worn away from the path near the house./ 2. To lessen; become less little by little. * /The people went home as the excitement of the fire wore off./ * /John could feel the pain again as the dentist's medicine wore away./ 3. To exhaust; tire out, win over or persuade by making tired. * /Mary wore her mother down by begging so that she let Mary go to the movies./ Compare: DIE OUT.

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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  • wear down — [wear off] or[wear away] {v.} 1. To remove or disappear little by little through use, time, or the action of weather. * /Time and weather have worn off the name on the gravestone./ * /The eraser has worn off my pencil./ * /The grass has worn away …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • wear\ down — • wear down • wear off • wear away v 1. To remove or disappear little by little through use, time, or the action of weather. Time and weather have worn off the name on the gravestone. The eraser has worn off my pencil. The grass has worn away… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • wear down — index diminish, erode, harass, prevail (persuade), tax (overwork) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

  • wear down — verb 1. exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress (Freq. 1) We wore ourselves out on this hike • Syn: ↑tire, ↑wear upon, ↑tire out, ↑wear, ↑weary, ↑jade, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • wear down — 1) PHR V ERG If you wear something down or if it wears down, it becomes flatter or smoother as a result of constantly rubbing against something else. [V P n (not pron)] Pipe smokers sometimes wear down the tips of their teeth where they grip… …   English dictionary

  • wear down — phrasal verb [transitive, often passive] Word forms wear down : present tense I/you/we/they wear down he/she/it wears down present participle wearing down past tense wore down past participle worn down 1) to make someone gradually lose their… …   English dictionary

  • wear down — phr verb Wear down is used with these nouns as the object: ↑opposition …   Collocations dictionary

  • wear down — become dull or weak, use until worn    Confinement in a prison began to wear down his spirit …   English idioms

  • wear down by friction — index erode Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • wear down — Synonyms and related words: ablate, abrade, affect, argue into, beat, bend, bias, bring over, bring round, bring to reason, burn out, captivate, charm, color, con, convince, debilitate, dispose, do in, do up, drain, draw over, enervate, erode,… …   Moby Thesaurus

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