wear (wears 3rd person present) (wearing present participle) (wore past tense) (worn past participle )
1 verb When you wear something such as clothes, shoes, or jewellery, you have them on your body or on part of your body.
He was wearing a brown uniform... V n
I sometimes wear contact lenses... V n
She can't make her mind up what to wear. V n
2 verb If you wear your hair or beard in a particular way, you have it cut or styled in that way.
She wore her hair in a long braid... V n prep/adv
He wore a full moustache. V n
3 verb If you wear a particular expression, that expression is on your face and shows the emotions that you are feeling.
When we drove through the gates, she wore a look of amazement... V n
4 n-uncount You use wear to refer to clothes that are suitable for a certain time or place. For example, evening wear is clothes suitable for the evening.
supp N
The shop stocks an extensive range of beach wear...
5 n-uncount Wear is the amount or type of use that something has over a period of time.
(=use)
You'll get more wear out of a hat if you choose one in a neutral colour...
6 n-uncount Wear is the damage or change that is caused by something being used a lot or for a long time.
...a large, well-upholstered armchair which showed signs of wear.
7 verb If something wears, it becomes thinner or weaker because it is constantly being used over a long period of time.
The stone steps, dating back to 1855, are beginning to wear... V
Your horse needs new shoes if the shoe has worn thin or smooth. V adj
8 verb You can use wear to talk about how well something lasts over a period of time. For example, if something wears well, it still seems quite new or useful after a long time or a lot of use.
Ten years on, the original concept was wearing well. V adv
9 If one person in a couple, especially the woman, wears the pants, or in British English wears the trousers, they are the one who makes all the decisions.
INFORMAL
wear the trousers/pants phrase V inflects
She may give the impression that she wears the trousers but it's Tim who makes the final decisions.
10 If your patience or temper is wearing thin, you are becoming annoyed and are likely to get angry soon.
wear thin phrase V inflects, usu cont
Her husband was sympathetic at first but his patience soon wore thin.
11 If you say that something is wearing thin, you mean that people do not find it funny or interesting any more and are becoming annoyed with it, because they have seen or heard it so many times.
wear thin phrase V inflects, usu cont
Some of Wilson's eccentricities are beginning to wear thin.
12 If you say that someone is the worse for wear, you mean that they are tired, ill, or in a bad state because they have been very active, been through a difficult experience, or been drinking alcohol.
INFORMAL
the worse for wear phrase v-link PHR
He arrived on January 9, disheveled and much the worse for wear. wear away phrasal verb If you wear something away or if it wears away, it becomes thin and eventually disappears because it is used a lot or rubbed a lot.
It had a saddle with springs sticking out, which wore away the seat of my pants... V P n (not pron)
The softer rock wears away. V P, Also V n P wear down
1 phrasal verb If you wear something down or if it wears down, it becomes flatter or smoother as a result of constantly rubbing against something else.
Pipe smokers sometimes wear down the tips of their teeth where they grip their pipes... V P n (not pron)
The machines start to wear down, they don't make as many nuts and bolts as they used to... V P
Elephants wear the tusk down faster than they can grow it. V n P
2 phrasal verb If you wear someone down, you make them gradually weaker or less determined until they eventually do what you want.
They hoped the waiting and the uncertainty would wear down my resistance... V P n (not pron)
He believed that he could wear her down if he only asked often enough. V n P wear off phrasal verb If a sensation or feeling wears off, it disappears slowly until it no longer exists or has any effect.
For many the philosophy was merely a fashion, and the novelty soon wore off... V P
Now that the initial shock was wearing off, he was in considerable pain... V P wear on phrasal verb If you say that time wears on, you mean that it passes, especially when it seems to pass slowly.
(=go on)
As the day wore on Brand found himself increasingly impressed... V P wear out
1 phrasal verb When something wears out or when you wear it out, it is used so much that it becomes thin or weak and unable to be used any more.
Every time she consulted her watch, she wondered if the batteries were wearing out... V P
Horses used for long-distance riding tend to wear their shoes out more quickly... V n P
He wore out his shoes wandering around Mexico City. V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb If something wears you out, it makes you feel extremely tired.
INFORMAL The past few days had really worn him out... V n P
The young people run around kicking a ball, wearing themselves out... V pron-refl P
The effect of the continuous attacks has been to wear out his troops. V P n (not pron)
ready-to-wear
Ready-to-wear clothes are made in standard sizes so that they fit most people, rather than being made specially for a particular person. adj ADJ n
(=off-the-peg)
In 1978 he launched his first major ready-to-wear collection for the Austin Reed stores.
wear and tear
Wear and tear is the damage or change that is caused to something when it is being used normally. n-uncount
...the problem of wear and tear on the equipment in the harsh desert conditions.
