run into the ground

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

run into the ground (third-person singular simple present runs into the ground, present participle running into the ground, simple past ran into the ground, past participle run into the ground)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To mismanage to the point of ruin.

   Synonym: drive into the ground

   Although he has an MBA from Harvard, he still ran the company into the ground.

   Even though that was a good joke, you really did run it into the ground.

   • 2023 July 5, Siva Vaidhyanathan, “Twitter was locked in a chaotic doom loop. Now it’s on the verge of collapse”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     […] one could assume that he has some master plan or that he’s making strategic decisions about the scope, scale, design and functionality of the service. He is not. He has not. He is running Twitter into the ground like Donald Trump ran the US government—fueled by fits of indignation and paranoia.

2. (transitive, idiomatic) To wear out, especially through excessive use.

   I figure this car has a few more years left in it and I intend to run it into the ground before purchasing another.

   • 2011 January 5, Jonathan Stevenson, “Arsenal 0 - 0 Man City”, in BBC‎^[2]:

     City sent on Adam Johnson for the ineffective Jo and the Englishman at least gave notice that he wanted to run at the Arsenal defence, but his team-mates had been run into the ground by then and no-one could get up in support of the winger.

3. (transitive, idiomatic) To discuss ad nauseam.

   You’ve run the upcoming election into the ground and I simply won’t listen to another word about it.

Related terms

• work into the ground

Translations

To wear out, especially through excessive use

• French: (1) ^{(please verify)} laisser se détériorer (tomber en ruine) | (2) ^{(please verify)} user à fond (ruiner | rincer)
• Russian: загна́ть (ru) (zagnátʹ)