The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
v. To lose (personnel, for example) by attrition.
v. To destroy or kill (troops, for example) by use of firepower: "Pro-active counterattacks are a useful way to attrit the enemy” ( John H. Cushman, Jr.)
v. To wear down through attrition, especially mechanical attrition
v. To engage in attrition; to quit or drop out
v. To be reduced in quantity through attrition
v. To lose, or to kill troops by attrition due to sustained firepower
Word Usage
"The classic example is the use of SAMs by the Egyptians and Syrians in the 1973 Yom Kippur war to attrit Israeli airpower and interfere with its ability to support the ground defensive fighting by the Israeli Army."