What Does “Wear sb down” Mean?
“Wear sb down” means to make someone feel tired, less confident, or less determined by persistent effort or pressure.
Introduction
The phrasal verb “wear sb down” is often used to describe a situation where someone gradually loses strength or patience because of continuous pressure or persuasion. Understanding the “wear sb down” meaning helps learners express ideas about persistence and influence in everyday conversations. Whether in arguments, negotiations, or emotional situations, this phrase shows how repeated actions can affect a person’s mindset or energy over time.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: wear somebody down
- Type: transitive
- Level: B2
- Short meaning: To tire or weaken someone by persistent effort
Structure (Grammar Rules)
“Wear sb down” is a transitive and inseparable phrasal verb. This means the object (sb) always comes after the verb and cannot be placed in between “wear” and “down.”
Correct pattern: wear + somebody + down
Incorrect pattern: wear + down + somebody
How to Use Wear sb down?
Use “wear sb down” when describing how continuous pressure or repeated actions make someone less resistant or tired. It is common in contexts like debates, negotiations, or emotional situations where one person tries to persuade or exhaust another.
Examples
Imagine a teacher who keeps asking a student to finish their homework. Over time, the student might feel worn down.
- After hours of arguing, she finally wore him down and got him to agree.
- The constant questions wore the witness down during the trial.
- Salespeople often wear customers down with persistent offers.
- The long hike wore me down, but I kept going.
- Wear sb down in a sentence: He tried to wear his parents down until they let him go to the party.
Common Mistakes
People sometimes confuse the word order or use the wrong preposition.
- Incorrect: I wore down him with my arguments.
- Correct: I wore him down with my arguments.
- Incorrect: She wore him out down.
- Correct: She wore him down after hours of talking.
Differences / Synonyms
Similar phrasal verbs include “wear out” and “wear off,” but they have different meanings.
- Wear out: To make someone extremely tired physically or mentally.
- Wear off: When an effect or feeling gradually disappears.
- Wear sb down: To make someone give up or lose strength because of ongoing pressure.
For example, “wear out” focuses more on exhaustion, while “wear sb down” emphasizes reducing resistance through persistence.
Common Collocations
“Wear sb down” is often used with objects related to people’s emotions or physical state.
- Wear someone down with questions – using many questions to tire someone mentally.
- Wear someone down with persistence – applying constant pressure.
- Wear someone down through negotiation – slowly convincing someone.
- Wear someone down by arguing – using repeated arguments.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Here are related phrasal verbs of wear sb down:
Real-life Dialogue
Here is a short conversation using “wear sb down”:
Anna: He kept asking me to help with his project.
Ben: Did you say no?
Anna: At first, yes. But after he kept insisting, he wore me down.
Ben: So you ended up helping him?
Anna: Yes, I couldn’t say no anymore.
Practice
Try filling in the blank with the correct form of the phrasal verb:
- After hours of arguing, she finally __________ him __________ and got what she wanted.
- The long meeting __________ everyone __________.
- He tried to __________ his parents __________ until they agreed.
FAQ
- What does “wear sb down” mean? It means to make someone tired or less determined through continuous pressure.
- Is “wear sb down” separable? No, it is inseparable. The object must come after the whole phrasal verb.
- Can I use “wear sb down” for physical tiredness? It usually refers to mental or emotional fatigue, not just physical tiredness.
- What is a synonym for “wear sb down”? “Wear out” can be similar but focuses more on physical exhaustion.
- How do I use “wear sb down” in a sentence? Example: The teacher wore the students down with constant tests.
