Meaning

To wear down through attrition, especially mechanical attrition..

Definitions by Sense

1. To wear down through attrition, especially mechanical attrition.
2. To engage in attrition; to quit or drop out.
3. To be reduced in quantity through attrition.
4. (military) To lose, or to kill, troops by attrition due to sustained firepower.
5. (countable) One who voluntarily or involuntarily leaves a company; a termed employee.

Example Sentences

[…] pebbles of vast size, or blocks of stone, attrited by water to smoothness, conjoined by a cement of mud.

the relatives who had been helping slipped away as I grew older, attriting for various reasons that all amounted to the same reason.

The interference theory of second language loss holds that forgetting is actually interference between the attriting language and the language replacing it.

The primary objective is to attrit the units sufficiently so that they cannot close with the units in contact.

Throughout the early part of the meeting, a human resources manager kept talking about “attrits," which we thought was some kind of financial product they were reducing or eliminating. It wasn't until she mentioned "minimizing severance options" that we realized she was talking about people.

Word Forms

• attrits
• attriting
• attritting
• attrited
• attritted
• attrite

Synonyms for attrit

Related Words

When Should You Use Attrit?

Use attrit when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions