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wear¹ Definition

wear (wer)

transitive verb wore, worn, wear′·ing

    1. to have on the body or carry on the person (clothing, jewelry, a weapon, etc.)
    2. to hold the position or rank symbolized by to wear the heavyweight crown
    3. to dress in (a specified kind of attire) so as to be in style what college students are wearing this fall
  2. to have or show in one's expression or appearance to wear a smile, wearing an air of expectancy
  3. to be fitted with or have on the person habitually to wear dentures
  4. to have or bear as a characteristic or attribute to wear a beard, to wear one's hair long
  5. to fly or show (its flag): said of a ship
  6. to impair, consume, or diminish as by constant use, handling, or friction: often with away
  7. to bring by use to a specified state to wear a coat to rags
  8. to make, cause, or produce by the friction of rubbing, scraping, flowing, etc. to wear a hole in the sole of one's shoe
  9. to tire or exhaust (a person)
  10. to pass (time) slowly or tediously: often with away or out

Etymology: ME weren < OE werian, akin to ON verja, Goth wasjan, to clothe < IE base *wes-, to clothe > Sans vastra-, L vestis, clothing, vestire, to clothe

intransitive verb

  1. to become impaired, consumed, or diminished by constant use, friction, etc. shoes that have begun to wear
  2. to hold up in use as specified; bear continued use or handling; last a suit that wears well
  3. to become in time; grow gradually courage that is wearing thin
  4. to pass away gradually: often with away or on: said of time [the year wore on]
  5. to have an irritating or exhausting effect (on) noise wearing on our nerves

noun

  1. the act of wearing or the state of being worn
  2. things, esp. clothes, worn, or for wearing, on the body [children's wear]: often in combination [sportswear, footwear]
  3. the fashion or proper style of dress or the like
    1. the gradual impairment, loss, or diminution from use, friction, etc.
    2. the amount of such loss
  5. the ability to resist impairment or loss from use, friction, etc. a lot of wear left in the tire

wear¹ Related Forms

wear′er noun

wear¹ Idioms

wear down

  1. to make or become worn; lose or cause to lose thickness or height by use, friction, etc.
  2. to tire out, or exhaust (a person); weary
  3. to overcome the resistance of by persistence

wear off

to pass awayor diminish by degrees

wear out

  1. to make or become useless from continued wear or use
  2. to waste or consume by degrees
  3. to tire out; exhaust

wear the pants

or wear the trousers

Informal to have the greatest authority in a family

wear² Definition

wear (wer)

transitive verb wore, worn, wear′·ing

to turn or bring (a vessel) about by swinging its bow away from the wind; veer

Etymology: ? altered (infl. by wear) < veer

intransitive verb

to turn or come about by having the bow swung away from the wind

noun

the act of wearing a ship

Wear Definition

Wear (wir)

river in Durham, N England, flowing northeast into the North Sea: 67 mi (108 km)

wear Synonyms

wear

n.

depreciation, damage, loss, erosion, wear and tear, loss by friction, inroads of time, diminution, waste, corrosion, impairment, wearing away, dilapidation, disappearance, result of friction.

Antonyms growth*, accretion*, building up.

wear Synonyms

wear

v.

  1. To use as clothing or personal ornament

    bear, carry, affect, put on, don, be clothed, slip on, get on, have on, dress in, attire, array, cover, wrap, harness, get into*; see also dress 1.

    Antonyms undress*, take off*, disrobe. *

  2. To consume by wearing

    use up, use, consume, wear thin, wear out, waste, diminish, cut down, scrape off, exhaust, fatigue, weather down, impair.

  3. To be consumed by wearing

    fade, go to seed, decay, crumble, weather, dwindle, shrink, decline, deteriorate, decrease, waste, become threadbare.

wear Usage Examples

Object

  • helmet: Helmets can't protect you from cars: wearing a helmet absolutely does not mean you can forget about riding safely!
  • clothes: Wear very warm clothes - you could also come in Halloween costume.
  • hat: Good job I'm wearing the cricket hat else I'd be fried.
  • clothing: The workshop will be outdoors, please wear suitable clothing.
  • uniform: In real life, he never wore a uniform of any kind.
  • glove: Nurses who wear rubber gloves are at risk from contact eczema to either to rubber latex, or to glove chemicals.

Preposition: on

wrist: Kara An iron bangle worn on the right wrist.

Preposition: as

talisman: This amulet would have been valued for exuding divine energy and was probably worn as a protective talisman by a pious Buddhist.

Converse of object

withstand: These wires are strong and withstand normal wear and tear.

Adjective modifier

  • casual: Brown shoes, trainers or suede are strictly for casual wear.
  • bridal: The exclusive line of fresh, colorful, sophisticated, and elegant pieces brings a new dimension to the world of bridal wear.
  • excessive: A further consequence was excessive wear and tear on the brake drums and linings, leading to increased costs for the operators.
  • abrasive: If the counterface is plastic, then you should determine if it has any fillers which could cause abrasive wear.
  • fair: You are responsible during the lifetime of the goods, but only for faults that are not due to fair wear and tear.

Adjective complement

thin: Waites's habitual references to contemporaneous songs quickly wear thin, bringing to mind the recent glut of glib nostalgia television shows.

Noun used with modifier

tire: It can be very costly to neglect tire wear.

Preposition: of

hijab: Subsequently, on 9 December 2003, the government of Bavaria unveiled a draft law prohibiting the wearing of the hijab in public schools.

Followed by an intransitive particle

off: However the enthusiasm seemed to have worn off over night.

Modifies a noun

glove: Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves.