wear out
to make or become unfit or useless through hard or extended use, exposure to sunlight or hard water, etc.: Our daughter always wore out her play clothes before she outgrew them.
to exhaust, as by continued strain; weary: Your endless bickering is wearing me out.The people’s patience was being worn out by this tedious uncertainty and long waiting.
to deprive of meaning or effect by frequent repetition: That excuse was worn out long ago—I’m tired of hearing it.We’re going to wear out the words “amazing” and “incredible” if we keep overusing them.
to consume or remove, or be consumed or removed, especially slowly or gradually: Avoid placing the pavement painting where heavy foot traffic will wear out the paint faster.
the act or fact of wearing out or being worn out; a worn-out condition: I’ve had these pants for 20 years, and they’re only now showing some wear-out at the knees.
Idioms about wear out
wear out one's welcome. welcome (def. 10).
Origin of wear out
1Other words for wear out
Words Nearby wear out
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use wear out in a sentence
To me they come off like extended skits that wear out their welcome long before the halfway mark.
Harold Ramis’s ‘Groundhog Day’ Is About as Perfect as a Movie Gets | Malcolm Jones | February 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMost people are now dying because their bodies wear out, one way or another and stop repairing themselves.
Not a raid, authorities say, but a pressure tactic, as police look to wear out a man they want to capture alive.
French Shooting Suspect Mohamed Merah Under Siege in Raid | Tracy McNicoll | March 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThis rebellion is less a sprint than a marathon, with each side attempting to wear out its opponent in a contest of endurance.
As the bits of stone wear out they are replaced by others, which fall in from above.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Human individuals do wear out and have to be replaced by reproduction.
Taboo and Genetics | Melvin Moses Knight, Iva Lowther Peters, and Phyllis Mary BlanchardHunger and pain and toil were doing their best to wear out his strength.
The Highgrader | William MacLeod RaineWords of consolation are but empty sounds, for to time alone it belongs to wear out the tears of affliction.
The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Volume I (of 2) | Florence A. Thomas MarshallEf you wear out your poor old throat talkin, you may get de sumption; and den whatd become o me?
The Minister's Wooing | Harriet Beecher Stowe
British Dictionary definitions for wear out
to make or become unfit or useless through wear
(tr) to exhaust or tire
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 out
Become or cause to become unusable through long or heavy use, as in She wears out her shoes in no time, or The coupling in this device has worn out. [Early 1400s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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