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: You'll wear that outfit to rags if you don't take better care of it.Years of hard labor had worn him 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. See entry at wear out.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

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

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

How to use wear in a sentence

Data from Zero Friction Cycling, an Australian boutique that does chain testing, suggests that wax can offer a wear life that’s three times longer for chains compared to conventional lubes.
You Should Hot-Wax Your Bike Chains. Here's Why.|Joe Lindsey|November 6, 2020|Outside Online
Providing long-lasting wear and moisture for eigh hours, the soft brush applicator is carefully designed for the delicate eye area and provides easy on-the-go application.
Gift Guide: The best beauty and wellness presents of 2020|Rachel King|November 1, 2020|Fortune
After dozens of washings, I haven’t noticed holes or substantial wear and tear or had any issues inflating it.
The Durable Gear One Wildland Firefighter Swears By|Amanda Monthei|October 28, 2020|Outside Online
That was previously impossible to do on 6×6 or 8×8 vehicles, which always had all their wheels engaged, but Volvo developed an opt-out option for trucks in order to save wear and tear on tires and to save fuel.
France’s new military trucks can form a convoy with just one driver|Christina Mackenzie|October 19, 2020|Popular-Science

Speaking at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen summit, Stitch Fix president Elizabeth Spaulding said the pandemic has led the company to “lean hard into casual wear and athleisure” to reflect many people’s new lifestyle.
‘Quarantine jeans’ and athleisure: How clothing retailers are adapting to pandemic life|Jeff|October 14, 2020|Fortune
The Infinity Stones are six magical stones that, when inserted into the Infinity Gauntlet, grant the wearer infinite power.
Inside Marvel’s Phase 3: How ‘The Avengers’ Cross Paths with Black Panther and the New Superheroes|Marlow Stern|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And please, please for the love of Zeus (himself a floral crown wearer) use real flowers.
Flower Crowns Are Phony and Must Die|Sara Lieberman|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are different types of kimonos to denote something about the wearer, married or unmarried, young or old.
Bar-Hopping With the Kyoto Geisha|Liza Foreman|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wintour is, simply, a great arbiter and wearer of style: She should make the list.
Are These Really the Best Dressed People in the World?|Tim Teeman|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Tikker wearer simply fills out a questionnaire to get the death clock started.
Smartphone Apps and Wearables Are Taking a Morbid Turn|Charlotte Lytton|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How could he leave her with the owner of those hands, the wearer of those appalling yellow cotton gloves!
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
They were cursed by the Church as trappings of the Devil, inciting the wearer to foul deeds and intrigue.
The Medici Boots|Pearl Norton Swet
It was sometimes supplied with a hood (cucullus), which the wearer could pull over the head as a protection or a disguise.
The Private Life of the Romans|Harold Whetstone Johnston
The rest was carried around the back and brought forward either over or under the right arm at the pleasure of the wearer.
The Private Life of the Romans|Harold Whetstone Johnston
A couple of elastic metal bands fastened the canister to the chest of the wearer.
Star Born|Andre Norton

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

Idioms about wear

Origin of wear

OTHER WORDS FROM 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