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Vocabulary : Phrasal Verbs : W : wear down

wear down

Meaning: to gradually make someone lose their strength and vitality

Synonym: wear out

For example:

  • wear sb down The job was really hard and it wore me down so much that I had to quit.

  • wear down sb The champion boxer gradually wore down his opponent by hitting him with lots of hard punches to the body.

Quick Quiz:

The work really wore me down. After doing the job for a few weeks, I was
  1. much shorter
  2. very poor
  3. really exhausted

Grammar explanation: separable and non-separable phrasal verbs

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