wore down

Definition of wore downnext
past tense of wear down
See the Dictionary Definition 

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wore down
Verb
  • John Tortorella was hired as head coach in June 2022, helped establish a culture, had the young Flyers overachieving and then wore out his welcome — such is life as an NHL head coach and especially one named John Tortorella.
    Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Its burgundy spine wore out many years ago, so layer on layer of tape tries desperately to cradle over 60 pages of newspaper cuttings documenting every word ever published about her son, Jamie Mitchell.
    Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder scrambled on many occasions as protection broke down.
    Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2026
  • Saturday after ongoing contract negotiations between workers and the MTA broke down and 3,500 railroad employees walked off the job.
    Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
Verb
  • Evidence at the scene led officers to investigate whether the driver was impaired at the time of the crash.
    Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2026
  • Authorities allege Mathers was impaired at the time of the crash.
    Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • The district attorney’s office also has filed felony child endangerment charges against a Yorba Linda father whose 12-year-old son was critically injured after crashing a modified e-motorcycle allegedly capable of speeds up to 60 mph.
    Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 14 May 2026
  • Carter formed a duo with friend and singer Calvin Scott, but his collaborator was later seriously injured in an automobile accident.
    Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • While being held at the Independence Police Department’s detention unit, Ashley allegedly damaged the inside of a cell by smearing feces and blood on the walls and floor.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 19 May 2026
  • The airliner returned to the skies because the NTSB determined that maintenance workers damaged the plane that crashed by improperly using a forklift to reattach the engine.
    Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 19 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wore down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wore%20down. Accessed 22 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster