wear Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun impairment resulting from long use
    • the tires showed uneven wear
  2. noun a covering designed to be worn on a person's body
    habiliment; vesture; clothing; wearable; article of clothing.
  3. noun the act of having on your person as a covering or adornment
    wearing.
    • she bought it for everyday wear
  4. verb be dressed in
    have on.
    • She was wearing yellow that day
  5. verb have on one's person
    bear.
    • He wore a red ribbon
    • bear a scar
  6. verb have in one's aspect; wear an expression of one's attitude or personality
    • He always wears a smile
  7. verb deteriorate through use or stress
    wear out; wear down; wear off; wear thin.
    • The constant friction wore out the cloth
  8. verb have or show an appearance of
    • wear one's hair in a certain way
  9. verb last and be usable
    hold out; endure.
    • This dress wore well for almost ten years
  10. verb go to pieces
    break; wear out; fall apart; bust.
    • The lawn mower finally broke
    • The gears wore out
    • The old chair finally fell apart completely
  11. verb exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
    wear out; tire; wear down; jade; fag out; weary; fatigue; tire out; outwear; fag; wear upon.
    • We wore ourselves out on this hike
  12. verb put clothing on one's body
    assume; don; get into; put on.
    • 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

WordNet

Wear noun
Definitions
  1. Same as Weir.
Wear transitive verb
Etymology
Cf. Veer.
Definitions
  1. (Naut.) To cause to go about, as a vessel, by putting the helm up, instead of alee as in tacking, so that the vessel's bow is turned away from, and her stern is presented to, the wind, and, as she turns still farther, her sails fill on the other side; to veer.
Wear transitive verb
Etymology
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. , Skr. vas. Cf. Vest.
Wordforms
imperfect Wore ; past participle Worn ; present participle & verbal noun Wearing Before the 15th century wear was adjective weak verb, the imperfect & past participle being Weared
Definitions
  1. 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 s wore, Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore. Pope.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. To cause or make by friction or wasting; as, to wear a channel; to wear a hole.
  6. 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.
Wear intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To endure or suffer use; to last under employment; to bear the consequences of use, as waste, consumption, or attrition; as, a coat wears well or ill; -- hence, sometimes applied to character, qualifications, etc.; as, a man wears well as an acquaintance.
  2. To be wasted, consumed, or diminished, by being used; to suffer injury, loss, or extinction by use or time; to decay, or be spent, gradually. "Thus wore out night." Milton.
    Away, I say; time wears. Shak.
    Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee. Ex. xviii. 18.
    His stock of money began to wear very low. Sir W. Scott.
    The family . . . wore out in the earlier part of the century. Beaconsfield.
Wear noun
Definitions
  1. The act of wearing, or the state of being worn; consumption by use; diminution by friction; as, the wear of a garment.
  2. The thing worn; style of dress; the fashion.
    Motley s the only wear. Shak.

Webster 1913