run into the ground

present singular third person runs into the ground · participle present running into the ground · past ran into the ground

1. idiomaticinformaltransitiveTo mismanage to the point of ruin.

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

   2 more examples

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

   […]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.

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

   Synonyms: drive into the ground

2. idiomaticinformaltransitiveTo 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.

   1 more example

   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.

   2011 January 5, Jonathan Stevenson, “Arsenal 0 - 0 Man City”, in BBC

3. idiomaticinformaltransitiveTo discuss ad nauseam.

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