wear

[ wair ]

/ wɛər /

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See synonyms for: wear / wearing / wore / worn on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), wore, worn, wear·ing.

to carry or have on the body or about the person as a covering, equipment, ornament, or the like: to wear a coat;to wear a saber;to wear a disguise.

to have or use on the person habitually: to wear a wig.

to bear or have in one's aspect or appearance: to wear a smile;to wear an air of triumph.

to cause (garments, linens, etc.) to deteriorate or change by wear: Hard use has worn these gloves.

to impair, deteriorate, or consume gradually by use or any continued process: Long illness had worn the bloom from her cheeks.

to waste or diminish gradually by rubbing, scraping, washing, etc.: The waves have worn these rocks.

to make (a hole, channel, way, etc.) by such action.

to bring about or cause a specified condition in (a person or thing) by use, deterioration, or gradual change: to wear clothes to rags; to wear a person to a shadow.

to weary; fatigue; exhaust: Toil and care soon wear the spirit.

to pass (time) gradually or tediously (usually followed by away or out): We wore the afternoon away in arguing.

Nautical. to bring (a vessel) on another tack by turning until the wind is on the stern.

British Dialect. to gather and herd (sheep or cattle) to a pen or pasture.

verb (used without object), wore, worn, wear·ing.

to undergo gradual impairment, diminution, reduction, etc., from wear, use, attrition, or other causes (often followed by away, down, out, or off).

to retain shape, color, usefulness, value, etc., under wear, use, or any continued strain: a strong material that will wear;colors that wear well.

(of time) to pass, especially slowly or tediously (often followed by on or away): As the day wore on, we had less and less to talk about.

to have the quality of being easy or difficult to tolerate, especially after a relatively long association: It's hard to get to know him, but he wears well.

Nautical. (of a vessel) to come round on another tack by turning away from the wind.

Obsolete. to be commonly worn; to be in fashion.

noun

the act of wearing; use, as of a garment: articles for winter wear;I've had a lot of wear out of this coat.I had to throw away the shirt after only three wears.

the state of being worn, as on the person.

clothing or other articles for wearing; especially when fashionable or appropriate for a particular function (often used in combination): travel wear;sportswear.

gradual impairment, wasting, diminution, etc., as from use: The carpet shows wear.

the quality of resisting deterioration with use; durability.

Verb Phrases

wear down,

to reduce or impair by long wearing: to wear down the heels of one's shoes.
to weary; tire: His constant talking wears me down.
to prevail by persistence; overcome: to wear down the opposition.

wear off, to diminish slowly or gradually or to diminish in effect; disappear: The drug began to wear off.

wear out,

to make or become unfit or useless through hard or extended use: to wear out clothes.
to expend, consume, or remove, especially slowly or gradually.
to exhaust, as by continued strain; weary: This endless bickering is wearing me out.

OTHER WORDS FOR wear

26c tire, fatigue, drain.

See synonyms for wear on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about wear

wear thin,

to diminish; weaken: My patience is wearing thin.
to become less appealing, interesting, tolerable, etc.: childish antics that soon wore thin.

Origin of wear

First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English weren “to have (clothes) on the body, waste, damage, suffer waste or damage,” Old English werian; cognate with Old Norse verja, Gothic wasjan “to clothe”; (noun) late Middle English were “act of carrying on the body,” derivative of the verb; akin to Latin vestis clothing (see vest)

OTHER WORDS FROM wear

wearer, nounre·wear, verb, re·wore, re·worn, re·wear·ing.

Words nearby wear

weaponize, weaponry, weapons carrier, weapons of mass destruction, weapon system, wear, wearability, wearable, wearable computer, wearable tech, wearable technology

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wear in a sentence

The next dry day, she invariably looked worse for wear, as if she’d been shivering since our last encounter.
How a sickly squirrel offered me unexpected comfort|Pam Spritzer|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
They also suffer from far less wear and tear over the course of their lifespan.
Best mechanical keyboard: Game, code, type, and work smoother and faster|PopSci Commerce Team|February 4, 2021|Popular-Science
It wouldn’t be unlike the shoewear company to promote a new technology for everyday wear and then incorporate it into their other shoe lines.
Nike’s lace-free sneakers offer a perfect fit you simply step into|Claire Maldarelli|February 2, 2021|Popular-Science
Then when I was pregnant with my son, working at the UN, and unable to find professional maternity wear that was long-lasting, sustainable, and comfortable, I realized there is a huge gap in the market here.
The future of maternity workwear is all in the details|Rachel King|January 31, 2021|Fortune

Microscopic wear and polish on a worn section of the Tabun stone resulted from it having been ground or rubbed against relatively soft material, such as animal hides or plants, the scientists conclude in the January Journal of Human Evolution.
The oldest known abrading tool was used around 350,000 years ago|Bruce Bower|January 21, 2021|Science News
Growing up as a teen in the 1960s, she had yearned to wear the same clothes her girlfriends wore.
Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen|Sharon Adarlo|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You had a great line in your piece on Geoffrey Beene about the “genre” of evening wear.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is a country where women are allowed to wear one of 14 hairstyles.
North Korea’s Secret Movie Bootleggers: How Western Films Make It Into the Hermit Kingdom|Lizzie Crocker|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of the staff who work at this hotel are North Korean and wear traditional North Korean dresses.
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, your German Shepherd Buster can wear his own health tracker.
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She fixed her imploring eyes on the Virgin's face and on the saints; but all seemed to her to wear a forbidding look.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
At home Liszt doesn't wear his long abb's coat, but a short one, in which he looks much more artistic.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
To travelers blessed with golden sunshine, the Rhine may wear a grander, nobler aspect, and to such I leave it.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
"I bought them boots to wear only when I go into genteel society," said one of the codfish tribe, to a wag, the other day.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
The Swiss are freemen, and wear the fact unconsciously but palpably on their brows and beaming from their eyes.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley

British Dictionary definitions for wear (1 of 3)

wear¹

/ (wɛə) /

verb wears, wearing, wore or worn

(tr) to carry or have (a garment, etc) on one's person as clothing, ornament, etc

(tr) to carry or have on one's person habituallyshe wears a lot of red

(tr) to have in one's aspectto wear a smile

(tr) to display, show, or flya ship wears its colours

to deteriorate or cause to deteriorate by constant use or action

to produce or be produced by constant rubbing, scraping, etcto wear a hole in one's trousers

to bring or be brought to a specified condition by constant use or actionto wear a tyre to shreds

(intr) to submit to constant use or action in a specified wayhis suit wears well

(tr) to harass or weaken

(when intr, often foll by on) (of time) to pass or be passed slowly

(tr) British slang to acceptLarry won't wear that argument

wear ship to change the tack of a sailing vessel, esp a square-rigger, by coming about so that the wind passes astern

noun

the act of wearing or state of being worn

anything designed to be wornleisure wear
(in combination)nightwear

deterioration from constant or normal use or action

the quality of resisting the effects of constant use

Derived forms of wear

wearer, noun

Word Origin for wear

Old English werian; related to Old High German werien, Old Norse verja, Gothic vasjan

British Dictionary definitions for wear (2 of 3)

wear²

/ (wɛə) /

verb wears, wearing, wore or worn

nautical to tack by gybing instead of by going through stays

Word Origin for wear

C17: from earlier weare, of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for wear (3 of 3)

Wear

/ (wɪə) /

noun

a river in NE England, rising in NW Durham and flowing southeast then northeast to the North Sea at Sunderland. Length: 105 km (65 miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with wear

wear

In addition to the idioms beginning with wear

wear and tear
wear another hat
wear down
wear off
wear one's heart on one's sleeve
wear out
wear out one's welcome
wear the pants
wear thin
wear two hats
wear well

also see:

hair shirt, wear a
if the shoe fits, wear it
none the worse for (wear)
worse for wear

wear

OTHER WORDS FOR wear

Idioms about wear

Origin of wear

OTHER WORDS FROM wear

Words nearby wear

Words related to wear

How to use wear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wear (1 of 3)

Derived forms of wear

Word Origin for wear

British Dictionary definitions for wear (2 of 3)

Word Origin for wear

British Dictionary definitions for wear (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with wear