Word.ws English Dictionary

the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last

the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last proverb: when something is used enough times, it will eventually break down.

Proverb

the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last

  1. When something is used enough times, it will eventually break down.
    • “And he did valiant service, sire,” the major said. “I marked him in the thick of the fight, and saw more than one Imperialist go down before his sword.” “You know the story of the pitcher and the well, Captain Graheme,” the king said, smiling. “Some day you will go once too often, and I shall have...1886, G A Henty, “Chapter XI, The Capture of Oppenheim”, in The Lion of the North
    • On these last two points the Chancellor could have given way. He was adamant because he and Hebert wanted to demonstrate their power. The pitcher goes so often to the well, that it is broken at last.1957, Norman Rich, M.H. Fisher, The Holstein Papers, volume 2, page 317

Synonyms of the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last

Questions about the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last

What does the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last mean?
The pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last means when something is used enough times, it will eventually break down.
What part of speech is the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last?
The pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last is a proverb.

Words near the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last in the dictionary

  1. the perfect is the enemy of the good
  2. The Pilliga
  3. The Pinnacles
  4. the Pips
  5. the piss out of
  6. the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last
  7. the pits
  8. the plague
  9. the pleasure is all mine
  10. the plot thickens
  11. the plural of anecdote is not data

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: the pitcher goes so often to the well that it is broken at last (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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