The Collaborative International Dictionary
Wear \Wear\, v. t. [imp. Wore (w[=o]r); p. p. Worn (w[=o]rn); p. pr. & vb. n. Wearing. Before the 15th century wear was a weak verb, the imp. & p. p. being Weared.] [OE. weren, werien, AS. werian to carry, to wear, as arms or clothes; akin to OHG. werien, weren, to clothe, Goth. wasjan, L. vestis clothing, vestire to clothe, Gr. "enny`nai, Skr. vas. Cf. Vest.]
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To carry or bear upon the person; to bear upon one's self, as an article of clothing, decoration, warfare, bondage, etc.; to have appendant to one's body; to have on; as, to wear a coat; to wear a shackle.
What compass will you wear your farthingale?
--Shak.On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore, Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore.
--Pope. -
To have or exhibit an appearance of, as an aspect or manner; to bear; as, she wears a smile on her countenance. ``He wears the rose of youth upon him.''
--Shak.His innocent gestures wear A meaning half divine.
--Keble. To use up by carrying or having upon one's self; hence, to consume by use; to waste; to use up; as, to wear clothes rapidly.
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To impair, waste, or diminish, by continual attrition, scraping, percussion, on the like; to consume gradually; to cause to lower or disappear; to spend.
That wicked wight his days doth wear.
--Spenser.The waters wear the stones.
--Job xiv. 19. To cause or make by friction or wasting; as, to wear a channel; to wear a hole.
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To form or shape by, or as by, attrition. Trials wear us into a liking of what, possibly, in the first essay, displeased us. --Locke. To wear away, to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay. To wear off, to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth. To wear on or To wear upon, to wear. [Obs.] ``[I] weared upon my gay scarlet gites [gowns.]'' --Chaucer. To wear out.
To consume, or render useless, by attrition or decay; as, to wear out a coat or a book.
To consume tediously. ``To wear out miserable days.''
--Milton.To harass; to tire. ``[He] shall wear out the saints of the Most High.''
--Dan vii. 25.-
To waste the strength of; as, an old man worn out in military service.
To wear the breeches. See under Breeches. [Colloq.]
Usage examples of "to wear out".
I now buy very high-quality shoes, and they seem to last forever, whereas the cheapos used to wear out quickly and always looked as cheap as the price I’.
Theoretically, the ion motor could operate for long periods, for there is little to wear out.
All you have to do is just to wear out your chair in the consulting-room.
Still, however, his speech was hailed by Cedric as an incontestable token of reviving spirit in his companion, whose previous indifference had begun, notwithstanding his respect for Athelstane's descent, to wear out his patience.
It's good enough to wear out drinking or something, but it's still just a sweater.
But they were, potentially, going to be dropping far more than that and she didn't want to wear out the Kildar's barrel.
It's not like it's going to wear out the tubes or the personnel to stay up.