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.
-
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.
See Examples For:
Those craters can be produced by rocks roughly 43 inches wide, about the size of a monster-truck tire.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Located on West Ventura Boulevard between Highway 101 and the Camarillo Airport, the 160,000-square-foot warehouse will have a food court, bakery, pharmacy, optical center, hearing aid center and tire service center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Homendy said she walked the path of destruction, seeing the tire marks cut through the grass outside the runway—and navigation equipment, air bags and fencing strewn over the area.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
Sometimes I can run long distances without too much pain, while other times a shopping trip can tire me out.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
But gradually during his first year as EC, he began to tire of the never-ending discussions about these matters.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Finally, in 2025, he got tired of missing out.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Moore tired of her feedback and late in the season gave one of his staff the job of corresponding with her, the staff members said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Coutinho returned to his childhood club in 2024 but left after 81 appearances, saying he was "tired mentally".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
"I think I'm tired of talking about this same subject over and over," she said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
“I do not trust that man,” she said, and I was far too tired to argue by then.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
"The sessions are more tiring, you have to run more - they demand more of you and you have to cope with it."
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“It’s long, it’s tiring, but it’s necessary,” LaFleur said, adding that lessons learned from McVay have served him and others well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
New Australian research is shedding light on why walking often becomes slower and more tiring with age.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
But after the fall, Masino began to privately indicate that she was tiring of the fight, according to the people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
It’s tiring to be on guard all the time, to keep my muscles tense and wary.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
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.
