tire
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to reduce or exhaust the strength of, as by exertion; make weary; fatigue (often followed byout ).
The long walk tired him.
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to exhaust the interest, patience, etc., of; make weary; bore.
Your stories tire me.
- Synonyms:
- irk, exasperate
verb (used without object)
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to have the strength reduced or exhausted, as by labor or exertion; become fatigued; be sleepy.
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to have one's appreciation, interest, patience, etc., exhausted; become or be weary; become bored (usually followed byof ).
He soon tired of playing billiards.
noun
noun
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a ring or band of rubber, either solid or hollow and inflated, or of metal, placed over the rim of a wheel to provide traction, resistance to wear, or other desirable properties.
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a metal band attached to the outside of the felloes and forming the tread of a wagon wheel.
verb (used with object)
verb (used with object)
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Archaic. to dress (the head or hair), especially with a headdress.
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Obsolete. to attire or array.
noun
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Archaic. a headdress.
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Obsolete. attire or dress.
verb
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(tr) to reduce the energy of, esp by exertion; weary
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(tr; often passive) to reduce the tolerance of; bore or irritate
I'm tired of the children's chatter
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(intr) to become wearied or bored; flag
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tire1
First recorded before 900; Middle English tire(n), teoren “to diminish, weaken,” Old English tȳrian, tēorian “to faint, cause to faint”; further etymology uncertain
Origin of tire2
First recorded in 1475–85; special use of tire 3 (in the sense “dress, attire, accouterment (for a wheel”)
Origin of tire3
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tire(n), teren “to clothe, dress, equip (a knight) for battle”; shortening of attire
Explanation
To tire is to grow weary or bored with something. As a noun, a tire is the large, rubber ring that surrounds a car's wheel. You might tire from the hard work of changing a flat tire. When you tire, you need rest, or sometimes just a break: "When I tire of working on my homework, I like to read a book or watch TV for a while." As far as etymology goes, the verb is completely unrelated to the noun. The verb comes from an Old English word meaning "to become or make weary." The wheel-covering tire, on the other hand, was originally a shortened form of attire, "clothing or apparel," from the idea that a tire is, in a sense, clothing for a naked wheel.
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.
Tire engineers often struggle with what is known as the "Magic Triangle" of tire design.
From Science Daily • May 13, 2026
Goodyear Tire & Rubber GT 3.11%increase; green up pointing triangle swung to a loss in the first quarter, reporting struggling tire demand across much of its business.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
RKO General, a unit of the General Tire and Rubber Co., was the last company to lose broadcast TV station licenses in 1987, including Los Angeles outlet KHJ.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Some people, like Jeremy, who was camping in the nearby Firestone Tire parking lot, just hung out during the day; others slept over.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
She wasn’t even going to try to become Little Miss Central Florida Tire.
From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
