wear out

wear out
1) PHR-V-ERG 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.

[V P] Every time she consulted her watch, she wondered if the batteries were wearing out...

[V n P] Horses used for long-distance riding tend to wear their shoes out more quickly...

[V P n (not pron)] He wore out his shoes wandering around Mexico City.

2) PHRASAL VERB If something wears you out, it makes you feel extremely tired. [INFORMAL]

[V n P] The past few days had really worn him out...

[V pron-refl P] The young people run around kicking a ball, wearing themselves out...

[V P n (not pron)] The effect of the two severe defeats, and the continuous attacks, has been to wear out his troops.

Syn:
tire out, exhaust
3) PHR-V-ERG If someone wears out their welcome with you, or if it wears out, they spend a lot of time with you and you are no longer happy about it. You can also say that a feeling wears out or is worn out.

[V P n (not pron)] `Could you not stay with us while you are solving your mystery?' - `Oh, we don't want to wear out our welcome.'...

[V P n (not pron)] His stubborn resistance to anything new eventually wore out the patience of his superiors...

[V P] No matter how often they turn up, their welcome never wears out. [Also V n P]

4) → See also worn out

English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • wear out — {v.} 1a. To use or wear until useless. * /Bobby got a toy truck that would run on a battery, and he used it so much that he soon wore it out./ * /The stockings are so worn out that they can t be mended any more./ Compare: GIVE OUT(4), USE UP. 1b …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • wear out — {v.} 1a. To use or wear until useless. * /Bobby got a toy truck that would run on a battery, and he used it so much that he soon wore it out./ * /The stockings are so worn out that they can t be mended any more./ Compare: GIVE OUT(4), USE UP. 1b …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • wear out — (something) to use something so much that it can no longer be used. Randy s been cooking in a kitchen that s so old, almost everything in it has simply worn out. He wore out a pair of running shoes every three months. Usage notes: sometimes used… …   New idioms dictionary

  • wear out — index consume, deplete, diminish, exhaust (deplete), impair, misemploy, mistreat, spend …   Law dictionary

  • wear out — verb 1. exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress (Freq. 2) We wore ourselves out on this hike • Syn: ↑tire, ↑wear upon, ↑tire out, ↑wear, ↑weary, ↑jade, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • wear out — phrasal verb Word forms wear out : present tense I/you/we/they wear out he/she/it wears out present participle wearing out past tense wore out past participle worn out 1) [transitive] to make someone feel very tired She was worn out from looking… …   English dictionary

  • wear out — 1) the fabric will eventually wear out Syn: deteriorate, become worn, wear thin, fray, become threadbare, wear through 2) the grandkids wore me out Syn: fatigue, tire out, weary, exhaust, drain, sap …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • wear out — verb Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. tire, exhaust 2. to make useless especially by long or hard usage 3. erase, efface 4. to endure through ; outlast < wear out a storm > 5. to consume (as time) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • wear-out — /wair owt /, n. the act or fact of wearing out; a worn out condition: wear out at the knees of pants. Also, wearout. [1895 1900; n. use of v. phrase wear out] * * * …   Universalium

  • wear-out — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun ( s) Etymology: wear out : depreciation through wear the rapidity of wear out of a piece of machinery …   Useful english dictionary

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