wear : Idioms & Phrases


athletic wear

  • noun attire worn for sport or for casual wear
    activewear; sportswear.
WordNet

Fish weir ∨ wear

  • a weir set in a stream, for catching fish.
Webster 1913

hand wear

  • noun clothing for the hands
    handwear.
WordNet

leisure wear

  • noun informal clothing designed to be worn when you are relaxing
WordNet

long-wearing

  • adjective satellite capable of withstanding wear and tear and decay
    durable.
    • durable denim jeans
WordNet

pile-worn

Pile"-worn` adjective
Definitions
  1. Having the pile worn off; threadbare.
Webster 1913

ready-to-wear

  • noun ready-made clothing
    • she couldn't find anything in ready-to-wear that she liked
  • adjective satellite (especially of clothing) made in standard sizes and available from merchandise in stock
    off-the-shelf; off-the-peg; off-the-rack.
    • a ready-made jacket
    • ready-to-wear clothes
WordNet

To wear away

  • to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay.
Webster 1913

To wear off

  • to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth.
  • to pass away by degrees; as, the follies of youth wear off with age.
Webster 1913

To wear on

  • to pass on; as, time wears on. G. Eliot.
Webster 1913

To wear on ∨ upon

  • to wear. Obs. "[I] weared upon my gay scarlet gites [gowns.]" Chaucer.
Webster 1913

To wear one's heart upon one's sleeve

  • to expose one's feelings or intentions; to be frank or impulsive.
Webster 1913

To wear out

  • . (a) To consume, or render useless, by attrition or decay; as, to wear out a coat or a book. (b) To consume tediously. "To wear out miserable days." Milton. (c) To harass; to tire. "[He] shall wear out the saints of the Most High." Dan vii. 25. (d) To waste the strength of; as, an old man worn out in military service.
Webster 1913

To wear the breeches

  • to usurp the authority of the husband; said of a wife. Colloq.
Webster 1913

To wear weary

  • to become weary, as by wear, long occupation, tedious employment, etc.
Webster 1913

travel-worn

  • adjective satellite tired by travel
WordNet

war-worn

  • adjective satellite laid waste by war
    war-torn.
WordNet

wash-and-wear

  • noun a fabric treated to be easily washable and to require no ironing
  • adjective satellite treated so as to be easily or quickly washed and dried and requiring little or no ironing
    drip-dry.
    • a wash-and-wear shirt
WordNet

Wear and tear

  • noun decrease in value of an asset due to obsolescence or use
    depreciation.
WordNet
  • the loss by wearing, as of machinery in use; the loss or injury to which anything is subjected by use, accident, etc.
Webster 1913

wear away

  • verb cut away in small pieces
    whittle away; whittle down.
  • verb diminish, as by friction
    wear away.
    • Erosion wore away the surface
  • verb become ground down or deteriorate
    eat at; gnaw; erode; gnaw at.
    • Her confidence eroded
WordNet

wear down

  • verb exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
    wear out; tire; wear down; jade; fag out; weary; fatigue; wear; tire out; outwear; fag.
    • We wore ourselves out on this hike
  • verb deteriorate through use or stress
    wear out; wear down; wear off; wear.
    • The constant friction wore out the cloth
WordNet

wear off

  • verb deteriorate through use or stress
    wear out; wear down; wear off; wear.
    • The constant friction wore out the cloth
  • verb diminish, as by friction
    wear away.
    • Erosion wore away the surface
WordNet

wear on

  • verb pass slowly (of time)
    • The day wore on
WordNet

wear out

  • verb exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
    wear out; tire; wear down; jade; fag out; weary; fatigue; wear; tire out; outwear; fag.
    • We wore ourselves out on this hike
  • verb go to pieces
    break; fall apart; wear; bust.
    • The lawn mower finally broke
    • The gears wore out
    • The old chair finally fell apart completely
  • verb deteriorate through use or stress
    wear out; wear down; wear off; wear.
    • The constant friction wore out the cloth
WordNet

wear round

  • verb turn into the wind
    tack.
    • The sailors decided to tack the boat
    • The boat tacked
WordNet

wear ship

  • verb turn away from the wind
    • The sailors decided it was time to wear ship
WordNet

wear the trousers

  • verb exercise authority or be in charge
    call the tune; call the shots.
    • Who is calling the shots in this house?
WordNet

wear thin

  • verb deteriorate through use or stress
    wear out; wear down; wear off; wear.
    • The constant friction wore out the cloth
WordNet

wear upon

  • verb exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
    wear out; tire; wear down; jade; fag out; weary; fatigue; wear; tire out; outwear; fag.
    • We wore ourselves out on this hike
WordNet

wearing apparel

  • noun clothing in general
    apparel; dress; clothes.
    • she was refined in her choice of apparel
    • he always bought his clothes at the same store
    • fastidious about his dress
WordNet

wearing away

  • noun (geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
    wearing; eating away; eroding; erosion.
WordNet

well-worn

  • adjective satellite showing signs of much wear or use
  • adjective satellite repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
    commonplace; hackneyed; tired; old-hat; timeworn; trite; banal; threadbare; shopworn; stock.
    • bromidic sermons
    • his remarks were trite and commonplace
    • hackneyed phrases
    • a stock answer
    • repeating threadbare jokes
    • parroting some timeworn axiom
    • the trite metaphor `hard as nails'
WordNet

wheel-worn

Wheel"-worn` adjective
Definitions
  1. Worn by the action of wheels; as, a wheel-worn road.
Webster 1913

worn out

  • adjective satellite drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
    exhausted; spent; dog-tired; worn out; played out; fagged; fatigued; washed-out.
    • the day's shopping left her exhausted
    • he went to bed dog-tired
    • was fagged and sweaty
    • the trembling of his played out limbs
    • felt completely washed-out
    • only worn-out horses and cattle
    • you look worn out
WordNet

worn spot

  • noun a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion
    fret.
WordNet

worn-out

  • adjective satellite used until no longer useful
    raddled.
    • battered trumpets and raddled radios
    • worn-out shoes with flapping soles
  • adjective satellite drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
    exhausted; spent; dog-tired; worn out; played out; fagged; fatigued; washed-out.
    • the day's shopping left her exhausted
    • he went to bed dog-tired
    • was fagged and sweaty
    • the trembling of his played out limbs
    • felt completely washed-out
    • only worn-out horses and cattle
    • you look worn out
WordNet
Worn"-out` adjective
Definitions
  1. Consumed, or rendered useless, by wearing; as, worn-out garments.
Webster 1913