To carry or have on the person as covering, adornment, or protection: wearing a jacket; must wear a seat belt.
To carry or have habitually on the person, especially as an aid: wears glasses.
To display in one's appearance: always wears a smile.
To bear, carry, or maintain in a particular manner: wears her hair long.
To fly or display (colors). Used of a ship, jockey, or knight.
To damage, diminish, erode, or consume by long or hard use, attrition, or exposure. Often used with away, down, or off:rocks worn away by the sea; shoes worn down at the heels.
To produce by constant use, attrition, or exposure: eventually wore hollows in the stone steps.
To bring to a specified condition by long use or attrition: wore the clothes to rags; pebbles worn smooth.
To fatigue, weary, or exhaust: Your incessant criticism has worn my patience.
Nautical To make (a sailing ship) come about with the wind aft.
v.
intr.
To last under continual or hard use: a fabric that will wear.
To last through the passage of time: a friendship that wears well.
To break down or diminish through use or attrition: The rear tires began to wear.
To pass gradually or tediously: The hours wore on.
Nautical To come about with stern to windward.
n.
The act of wearing or the state of being worn; use: The coat has had heavy wear.
Clothing, especially of a particular kind or for a particular use. Often used in combination: rainwear; footwear.
Gradual impairment or diminution resulting from use or attrition.
The ability to withstand impairment from use or attrition: The engine has plenty of wear left.
To make or become unusable through long or heavy use.
To use up or consume gradually.
To exhaust; tire.
Chiefly Southern U.S. To punish by spanking.
Phrasal Verb(s): wear downTo break down or exhaust by relentless pressure or resistance. wear offTo diminish gradually in effect: The drug wore off. wear out
To make or become unusable through long or heavy use.
To use up or consume gradually.
To exhaust; tire.
Chiefly Southern U.S. To punish by spanking.
Idiom(s):
wear the pants/trousers Informal To exercise controlling authority in a household.
Idiom(s):
wear thin
To be weakened or eroded gradually: Her patience is wearing thin.
To become less convincing, acceptable, or popular, as through repeated use: excuses that are wearing thin.
[Middle English weren, from Old English werian; see wes-2 in Indo-European roots.] wear'er n.
(wâr) 