How to use attrition in a sentence

12 example sentences · noun, verb

Attrition means grinding down or wearing away by friction. Example: “The cohort of one hundred students had attritioned to sixty by the end of secondary school.”

Examples of attrition by meaning

nounA gradual reduction in number.

These increasingly conservative decisions, and constant attrition of individuals' rights, have directly paralleled the alarming increase of convictions in our courts.1990 December 16, Tom Sparks, “Universal Suffrage”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 22, page 4
The N.A.A.C.P. criticized the census change, fearing that since so few in the black community are of fully African descent, mass attrition to a mixed-race option could threaten political clout and Federal financing.2008 March 23, Peggy Orenstein, “Mixed Messenger”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Nov 2020

verbTo grind or wear down through friction.

attritioned teeth; attritioned rock

verbTo undergo a reduction in number.

The cohort of one hundred students had attritioned to sixty by the end of secondary school.

More sentences with attrition

An increasing demand for skills in niche technologies coupled with higher attrition have prompted these software services firms to organise walk-ins for technology talent too.From the entry walk-in
The Astra Militarum achieve their victories through hellstorms of firepower, grinding attrition and sheer dogged determination.2017, Warhammer 40,000, 8th edition, page 68. From the entry hellstorm
First-term attrition can be 30 percent or more, and many attritees do not reach E-4, let alone E-5.2003, James R. Hosek, Michael G. Mattock, Learning About Quality: How the Quality of Military Personnel Is Revealed Over Time, →ISBN, page…. From the entry attritee
Uttering love, that outlasts or outwastes Time's attrition, exiles appear again, But faintly altered in eyes and skin.2001, Geoffrey Hill, “Wreaths”, in Daniel McGuiness, editor, Holding Patterns: Temporary Poetics in Contemporary Poetry, page 74. From the entry outwaste
So far, soldiers on the front lines said they had seen little evidence of escalation beyond this largely slow-moving war of attrition.2021 December 6, Michael Schwirtz, “On Ukrainian Front, Grinding War and Weary Anticipation of Invasion”, in The New York Times, →ISSN. From the entry war of attrition
These inflowing potential essences are connatural with the astral conduits thus provided for their actualization, pursuant to a law of attrition and homogeneity.1917, American Academy of Astrologians, Year Book, page 162. From the entry connatural
He could keep winning through attrition, with a relentless barrage of topspinning ground strokes and a tireless defense of his own side, where would-be winners go to die.2007 August 27, John Branch, “His Next Line to Cross”, in New York Times. From the entry topspin
The Elven leaders, led by Gwaigilion Elengal, seemed to favor a policy of a forward defense, followed by retreat and hopefully attrition of the Imperial forces.1978, Swords & Sorcery: Quest and Conquest in the Age of Magic: Rules of Play, New York, N.Y.: Simulations Publications, Inc., pages 2, 8…. From the entry dwarrow

Meaning of attrition

noun Grinding down or wearing away by friction.
noun The wearing of teeth due to their grinding.
noun A gradual reduction in number.

Full definition of attrition

Questions about attrition in a sentence

How do you use attrition in a sentence?: Attrition is used as a noun and verb. For example: “The cohort of one hundred students had attritioned to sixty by the end of secondary school.”
What is a short sentence with attrition?: “attritioned teeth; attritioned rock”
What does attrition mean?: Attrition means grinding down or wearing away by friction.

Adapted from Wiktionary: attrition (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use attrition in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/attrition. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.