Definition

1. Noun:

   • The act of having clothing, accessories, or adornments on one's body: Refers to the action or state of using items as a covering or decoration.
   • Clothing or items designed to be worn: Refers to garments or accessories collectively, often for a specific purpose or occasion.
   • Damage or deterioration caused by long or constant use: The impairment or loss of material resulting from friction, stress, or age.

2. Verb:

   • To have clothing, accessories, or adornments on one's body: To be dressed in or to carry something on the person.
   • To deteriorate or become impaired through use: To become thinner, weaker, or damaged due to friction, stress, or age.
   • To last or endure under use: To remain in a usable or acceptable condition over time.
   • To show or bear a particular appearance or expression: To have a specific look, facial expression, or characteristic.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • This jacket is for casual wear. (This jacket is intended for everyday use.)
  • The wear on the car's tires was uneven. (The tires showed damage from use that was not uniform.)
  • The store specializes in children's wear. (The store focuses on clothing for children.)

• Verb:

  • She likes to wear bright colors. (She prefers to dress in vivid colors.)
  • The constant friction will wear the fabric thin. (The rubbing will cause the material to deteriorate.)
  • This material wears well and lasts for years. (This fabric remains in good condition with use.)
  • He always wears a serious expression. (He consistently has a solemn look on his face.)

Advanced Usage

• "wear thin": To become less effective, convincing, or tolerable over time.
  • His excuses are starting to wear thin. (His justifications are becoming less believable.)
• "wear the trousers/pants" (idiom): To be the dominant person in a relationship or household.
  • It's clear who wears the trousers in that family. (It's obvious who makes the decisions there.)

Variants and Related Words

• Wearable (adj): Suitable or designed to be worn.
  • Smartwatches are popular wearable technology.
• Wearer (n): A person who wears something.
  • The wearer of the crown bears great responsibility.
• Wear and tear (n phrase): The damage that naturally occurs from ordinary use.
  • The sofa shows signs of normal wear and tear.

Synonyms

• Don (v): To put on clothing (more formal/literary).
• Sport (v): To wear something in a noticeable or stylish way.
• Erosion (n): The process of being worn away (for the deterioration sense).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Wear away: To gradually remove or be removed by friction, erosion, or use.
  • The inscription on the stone has worn away over centuries.
• Wear down: To overcome resistance through persistent pressure; to make something thinner/smoother through use.
  • They hoped to wear down the enemy's defenses.
• Wear off: To gradually disappear or lose effectiveness.
  • The painkiller's effect began to wear off after a few hours.
• Wear out:
  • To use something until it is no longer usable.

    • He wore out his shoes from running.
  • To make someone extremely tired.

    • The long journey wore everyone out.

Related Idioms

• Wear one's heart on one's sleeve: To openly show one's feelings or emotions.
  • She wears her heart on her sleeve, so you always know how she feels.
• Wear two hats: To have two different roles or jobs.
  • In our small company, the manager often wears two hats, handling both finance and marketing.

Noun

1. the act of having on your person as a covering or adornment
   • she bought it for everyday wear
2. a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
3. impairment resulting from long use
   • the tires showed uneven wear

Verb

1. put clothing on one's body
   • What should I wear today?
   • He put on his best suit for the wedding
   • The princess donned a long blue dress
   • The queen assumed the stately robes
   • He got into his jeans
2. exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
   • We wore ourselves out on this hike
3. go to pieces
   • The lawn mower finally broke
   • The gears wore out
   • The old chair finally fell apart completely
4. last and be usable
   • This dress wore well for almost ten years
5. have or show an appearance of
   • wear one's hair in a certain way
6. deteriorate through use or stress
   • The constant friction wore out the cloth
7. have in one's aspect; wear an expression of one's attitude or personality
   • He always wears a smile
8. have on one's person
   • He wore a red ribbon
   • bear a scar
9. be dressed in
   • She was wearing yellow that day