wear and tear

American  

[tair] / tɛər /

Or wear-and-tear

noun

1. damage or deterioration resulting from ordinary use; normal depreciation.

---

wear and tear British  

noun

1. damage, depreciation, or loss resulting from ordinary use

---

wear and tear Idioms  

1. Damage and deterioration resulting from ordinary use and exposure, as in This sofa shows a lot of wear and tear; we should replace it. [Second half of 1600s]

---

Etymology

Origin of wear and tear

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

Boeing, owing to its past takeover of MD-11 maker McDonnell Douglas, plays a major role in tracking how its aircraft handle wear and tear and informing customers how to maintain them.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

The Dodgers are going to protect their personnel from as much wear and tear as possible — and from themselves.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

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

This is why describing osteoarthritis as simple "wear and tear" is misleading.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

Connecting digitally eliminated a tremendous amount of wear and tear and seemed to satisfy everyone around the ‘virtual table.’

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman

Related Words

• depletion
• depreciation
• erosion