grind down
1. To reduce something or cause it to become more even by grinding. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "grind" and "down." The landscaper ground the tree stump down. Can you please grind down this uneven spot in the floor? After the dentist filled my cavity, he then had to grind down the filling's rough edges.
2. To start moving more slowly, as of a machine. Don't touch the machine until it grinds down to a stop. Gosh, that machine is noisy! I knew it must have been grinding down when I could actually hear myself think again! At the Spin Art booth, paint splatters a spinning piece of paper until the machine grinds down to a halt.
3. To cause someone to become weary or disillusioned, as by frequently pestering them. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "grind" and "down." You're going to grind your employees down if you question every little thing they do. This job really grinds you down, until one day you wake up and wonder what the point of it all even is. If you're going to be an actor, you can't let rejection grind you down like this.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
grind someone down
Fig. to wear someone down by constant requests; to wear someone down by constant nagging. If you think you can grind me down by bothering me all the time, you are wrong. The constant nagging ground down the employees at last.
grind something down
to make something smooth or even by grinding. Grind this down to make it smooth. Please grind down this rough spot.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.