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Glite Dictionary
to work into the ground

to work into the ground

1 5.4
Make someone very tired by giving them too much to do
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : agotar
  • My manager often works the team into the ground with tight deadlines and excessive demands.

So we we can also we can work ourselves into the ground.

Examples

  • If not for that, she'd never leave here; she'd work herself right into the ground.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • "I work you into the ground any day of the week!" They took twenty-minute shifts, Robert and Tommy alternating on one jackhammer, Leon and Booker on the other.

    Academic text (2008)

  • I can work myself into the ground like a pig when the mood is on me, but periodically I've got to stop.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • During the busy season, the staff will be worked into the ground trying to meet all the orders.

  • It's common for many students to work themselves into the ground in preparation for finals.

Synonyms

to run into the ground
vsto work into the ground
  • Informal
19 6.5

To damage something by using it too much or managing it badly

makes a person extremely tired rather than damaging or ruining an object
to overwork
vsto work into the ground
15 4.1

To make someone work too much so they become very tired or ill

makes someone extremely tired through too much effort
to tucker
vsto work into the ground
  • Informal
8 9.4

To make someone very tired

is the neutral expression for causing extreme tiredness through effort
to work one's fingers to the bone
vsto work into the ground
  • Informal
4 7.4

Do very hard, long jobs until you are very tired

causes extreme tiredness from too much effort, not only physical tasks
to work to the bone
vsto work into the ground
  • Informal
6.0

To do very hard, long tasks until you are very tired

produces extreme tiredness through excessive effort rather than other causes
to break one's back
vsto work into the ground
  • Informal
6.0

To work very hard at something until you are very tired

causes extreme tiredness without necessarily highlighting physical strain
to run off someone's feet
vsto work into the ground
  • UK
7.1

To make someone very busy and tired with too much work

creates extreme tiredness by heavy prolonged effort rather than short busy spells

Antonyms

rest
703 1.0

A period when you stop activity to relax or sleep

to refresh
50 2.8

Make someone or something feel full of energy and less tired

How Tired

to work into the ground
  • Informal
1 5.4
to exhaust
194 3.2
to wear out
19 2.7
to tire
23 1.0

Surface Forms

work into the ground infinitive
worked into the ground past
worked into the ground past participle
working into the ground present participle
works into the ground third person singular

Morphology

work + into + the + ground

The components 'work' and 'ground' give a partial clue — the phrase suggests intense or exhaustive labor — but the specific sense 'make someone extremely tired' is metaphorical and not fully predictable from the literal parts. The preposition phrase 'into the ground' acts as an idiomatic intensifier, so a B1 learner who knows the words might guess a negative, intensive meaning but would likely not infer the precise idiomatic sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Work into the ground paints a clear picture: someone is made to work so hard they collapse on the ground from tiredness. That's why it means 'to make someone extremely tired'.