worn-out
adjective
worn or used beyond repair.
worn-out
American
[wawrn-aut, wohrn-]
/ ˈwɔrnˈaʊt, ˈwoʊrn- /
adjective
-
worn or used beyond repair.
-
depleted of energy, strength, or enthusiasm; exhausted; fatigued.
worn-out
British
adjective
-
worn or used until threadbare, valueless, or useless
-
exhausted; very weary
worn out
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of worn-out
First recorded in 1585–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Experiments in cell cultures also showed that aging reduced the ability of tissue resident macrophages to engulf and digest worn-out neutrophils, while the EP2 blocking drug significantly restored that ability.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Since then, several buildings and public artworks have been added, but LANLT’s Kjer described the site as a “hodgepodge of concrete, worn-out planting areas and grass ... with a disjointed flow and limited way-finding.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
During the winter, temperatures dropped to -25C, so old, worn-out sleepings bags were of little use when they slept on the frozen ground or a cold concrete floor.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
I make hotpads from worn-out terry cloth towels and I turn fabric scraps into comforter tops.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
I need a mom who doesn't look at me like I’m a worn-out piece of furniture that doesn't match the rest of her house.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
And that day, Erika was too worn out and too upset to be patient anymore.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Residents say the end can’t come soon enough and that the cold storage industry behemoth has already worn out its welcome.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Trump has also announced plans to renovate what he described as a "dilapidated, worn out" golf course in Washington called East Potomac Golf Links, saying it could host major tournaments when the work is complete.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Osteoarthritis is not simply about "worn out" joints.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2026
A message broadcast had just ended, and Reynie, worn out, was making himself go over the day’s notes one last time.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
