(of machinery or appliances) worn-out; dilapidated.
(of a person) exhausted; fatigued.
informal (clapped-out when prenominal) (esp of machinery) worn out; dilapidated
extremely tired; exhausted
First recorded in 1945–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And are you technical – your clapped-out BlackBerry has been mentioned in interviews… Google helped us by digging out the 2008 version of Google Earth from their archives… and, no, I’m not technical.
From The Guardian • Jan. 15, 2017
Add in a couple of bits of gristle; the speed with which its porky flavour fades; occasional harsh bursts of dried-herb flavour, and you have a rather clapped-out banger.
From The Guardian • Oct. 23, 2014
But this was different: 6-3 at Wembley, 35 shots to five, and the Hungarians declared after an hour, content to play matador with a clapped-out John Bull.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2013
For all the talk of him being too old for Edith, he doesn't seem like a clapped-out crock to me.
From Slate • Jan. 7, 2013
“Well, what in creation is she doing ferrying clapped-out Tiger Moths about, in that case? Give the Bloody Machiavellian English Intelligence Officer a call and get permission,” Jamie suggested.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
