worn
adjective
diminished in value or usefulness through wear, use, handling, etc..
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worn
1 American
[wawrn]
/ wɔrn /
adjective
-
diminished in value or usefulness through wear, use, handling, etc..
The car's front tires were very worn, with little tread left.
-
showing a considerable level of use or wear.
He read his speech from two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been folded and unfolded many times.
-
wearied; exhausted.
She looked worn but joyful as she held her newborn daughter.
verb
-worn
2
American
-
a combining form with the meaning “showing a specified level of use, deterioration, or consumption”.
Before you toss that little-worn top, consider if it could be given a second life.
-
a combining form with the meaning “showing wear, deterioration, or exhaustion from a specified cause”.
The old bridges fit the landscape, maybe because they are as windworn and aged as the land around them.
The knights were weary and battleworn when they returned to the castle.
worn
British
/ wɔːn /
verb
adjective
-
affected, esp adversely, by long use or action
a worn suit
-
haggard; drawn
-
exhausted; spent
Other Word Forms
- self-worn adjective
- unworn adjective
- wornness noun
Etymology
Origin of worn
First recorded in 1500–10, for the adjective
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some examples of normal wear and tear include faded paint, worn carpeting and small holes from nails used to hang art.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
Ali and Cranch also pleaded not guilty to a second charge of criminal damage in relation to shoes and a cape worn by someone in the room on the same day.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
But only one could be worn by the first person to shatter the 2-hour barrier.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
He also suggests that brain-machine interfaces, whether implanted or worn externally, could help manage severe chronic pain.
From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026
The name was worn to almost nothing, but she knew the layout of the stars well enough to know whose it was.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
