run into the ground
The idiom "run into the ground" is often used to describe situations where something is overused, mismanaged, or excessively discussed to the point of exhaustion or ruin.
Definition
B2General
(common)To overuse or exhaust something until it becomes ineffective or useless.
Example
- They ran the old car into the ground by using it for years without proper maintenance.
B2Business
(common)To mismanage something to the point of failure or ruin.
Example
- The new CEO ran the company into the ground with poor decisions.
B2Conversation
(common)To discuss or emphasize a topic excessively until it becomes tiresome or unproductive.
Example
- They ran the issue into the ground by debating it for hours.
B2Personal
(common)To exert oneself to the point of extreme fatigue.
Example
- She ran herself into the ground trying to meet the project deadline.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "run into the ground":
run downrun agroundrun overgo to groundgrind downground output in the groundwear downkick into the long grassbeat downrun throughplough intoflog a dead horsefall to the groundrun dryon the groundcome a cropperbeat to a pulpbogged downwear outbog downthrow dirt onrun into