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to wear down
[phrase form: wear]
01
to slowly weaken someone's emotional or mental strength over time, often due to continuous pressure or challenges
Grammatical Information
Composition
phrasal
Action verb
Regular
Separable
Particle
down
Base verb
wear
Present tense
wear down
3rd person singular
wears down
Present participle
wearing down
Past simple
wore down
Past participle
worn down
Examples
Dealing with chronic pain can wear a person down emotionally and physically.
02
to become damaged through regular use
Examples
The repetitive use of the keyboard can wear down the letters on the keys.
