wore

[ wawr, wohr ]

/ wɔr, woʊr /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wore ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

simple past tense of wear.

Nearby words

wordsmith, wordstock, wordsworth, wordsworth, william, wordy, wore, wore-out, work, work back, work both sides of the street, work camp

Can be confused

war wore

Definition for wore (2 of 2)

wear

[ wair ]

/ wɛər /

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.

Origin of wear

before 900; (v.) 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 v.; akin to Latin vestis clothing (see vest)

SYNONYMS FOR wear

26c tire, fatigue, drain.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wear ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for wore

Reportedly, George Custer wore a Stetson into Little Big Horn.
My Love Letter to the Stetson|Mark McKinnon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Presumably, had the deputies who pinned Saylor wore body cameras, video evidence would have helped determine what happened to him.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Muslim Samantha Elauf was qualified to work at A & F—except that she wore a hijab.
Muslims & Jews Unite vs. Abercrombie & Fitch|Dean Obeidallah|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At various times, we had spoken about honors--Hitchcock had been awarded the Légion d'Honneur and wore a ribbon in his lapel.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As the evening wore on, condemnation continued to pour in from around the world.
Indefensible but Indispensable America|Jamie Dettmer|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And perhaps for her it wore the greater dignity from her vague idea of its internal workings.
Wheat and Huckleberries|Charlotte Marion (White) Vaile
He represented the earthly pomp and show of Christianity, wore the ceremonial vestments.
When It Was Dark|Guy Thorne
Selden wore a mustache that drooped at the corners of his mouth.
The Trail Horde|Charles Alden Seltzer
He wore an enormous broad-brimmed hat and emerald-green earrings, and looked considerably younger than his eldest son, Francesco.
New Italian sketches|John Addington Symonds
As the day wore on reinforcements of infantry came up from the force which had been left to guard the camp.
The Great Boer War|Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for wore (1 of 4)

wore

/ (wɔː) /

verb

the past tense of wear 1

British Dictionary definitions for wore (2 of 4)

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)

British Dictionary definitions for wore (3 of 4)

wear

/ (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

wearer, noun

Word Origin for wear

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

British Dictionary definitions for wore (4 of 4)

wear

/ (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

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

Idioms and Phrases with wore

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

wore

verb

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Can be confused

Definition for wore (2 of 2)

wear

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

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

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of wear

SYNONYMS FOR wear

Related forms

Examples from the Web for wore

British Dictionary definitions for wore (1 of 4)

wore

verb

British Dictionary definitions for wore (2 of 4)

Wear

noun

British Dictionary definitions for wore (3 of 4)

wear

verb wears, wearing, wore or worn

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for wear

British Dictionary definitions for wore (4 of 4)

wear

verb wears, wearing, wore or worn

Word Origin for wear

Idioms and Phrases with wore

wear