worry down
C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To barely manage to eat or drink something because you are too nervous or upset to eat properly.
Literal meaning: To worry (struggle) something 'down' the throat — metaphor of effortful swallowing.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
informal
To manage to swallow food or drink with difficulty, especially when feeling anxious, ill, or upset.
"She worried down a few bites of toast before the interview, even though she had no appetite."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
A rare phrase. The 'worry' here draws on an older sense of the word meaning to struggle with or move something with difficulty (as in a dog worrying a bone). Very infrequent in modern English; learners are unlikely to encounter it in everyday speech. 'Force down' or 'choke down' are more common alternatives.
Commonly used with
food meal pill breakfast drink
Forms
Base
worry down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
worries down
he/she/it
Past simple
worried down
yesterday
Past participle
worried down
have + pp
-ing form
worrying down
continuous
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