to wear down
27
4.1
- phrasal verb
- /wɛr daʊn/
:
desgastar
- The constant demands of work can wear you down if you don't take breaks.
- wear down over time
You're tired, you're worn down, you're annoyed, you're frustrated.
- You're tired, you're worn down, you're annoyed, you're frustrated.
- And just repeating that so much that you start to wear down that other pathway.
- It's over stress and that stress is going to wear down the system.
- After the first month, your body is completely worn down.
- Give it, give it a couple years and I'm sure maybe I'll be worn down and I'll settle for less.
- And four years later, yeah, it's like, it's like people, people are worn down.
- But if you think about a car tire is constantly being worn down and the speed and the heats releasing all the particles.
- Each day you put up with this, you aren't getting better at it, You're getting more and more worn down.
- And then over time you got worn down to where you actually believed the negative self talk.
Examples
-
We bounce back when our stress force is full, but the pressure can wear down our stress force.
-
The effect is wearing down.
-
Like most of these have the I just got so worn down and tired and I was done putting up with it.
-
You just get so worn down by it all.
-
By a succession of massive attacks, they would wear down the enemy.
Fiction book (1992) -
Most people have dreams in their youth that get shattered or worn down with age.
-
The policeman here seems worn down and discouraged.
Academic text (2018) -
The patient is frustrated, worn down, and depressed because of the pain and the diminished prospect of recovery.
Academic text (2000) -
Continuous training can wear down even the most dedicated athlete over time.
-
If you face too many challenges at once, it can wear down your motivation.
Synonyms
194
3.2
To make someone very tired
189
3.4
To slowly use up energy, money, or other resources
84
4.6
Make someone tired over time because of stress or effort
23
1.0
To become very tired or make someone very tired
20
7.7
To make a person, animal, or thing weak and less able to work
19
2.7
To make a person very tired or a thing stop working by using it too much
15
3.2
To use up batteries, money or supplies until little remains
14
5.6
To slowly make someone or something weaker
11
4.6
To make someone very tired by hard work or long effort
10
2.1
To make a person very tired by using up their energy
8
9.4
To make someone very tired
4
4.4
To make someone or yourself very tired after long effort
2
3.8
To slowly remove material by rubbing or long use
2
4.4
To use something too much so it loses its quality or value
1
8.1
To make someone tired or bored by doing something too often
1
9.9
To make people or forces fewer and weaker by slow, steady pressure
1
9.8
Make someone or something lose energy and stop working well
1
4.8
Make someone feel very weak and tired
Make someone tired over time from too much work or stress
To slowly take away energy and interest from people
To make someone very tired by long, hard effort
To work very hard until you feel tired
To wear a surface down by rubbing
Antonyms
How Weakened
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to gradually make weaker or more tired' is directly derivable from combining 'wear' (to tire/exhaust) with 'down' (indicating reduction/lowering). This phrasal-verb composition follows a common, predictable English pattern and is cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrasal verb wear down comes from the image of wear and down: repeated rubbing or pressure slowly makes things thinner or smaller, like shoe soles wearing thin or rocks becoming smooth. That's why it now means 'to make someone or something weaker or less able to resist' by constant pressure over time.