wear | |
1. v. To carry or have equipped on or about one's body, as an item of clothing, equipment, decoration, etc. | |
He's wearing some nice pants today. She wore her medals with pride. Please wear your seatbelt. Can you wear makeup and sunscreen at the same time? He was wearing his lun | |
2. v. To have or carry on one's person habitually, consistently; or, to maintain in a particular fashion or manner. | |
He wears eyeglasses. She wears her hair in braids. | |
3. v. To bear or display in one's aspect or appearance. | |
She wore a smile all day. He walked out of the courtroom wearing an air of satisfaction. | |
4. v. (colloquial, with "it") To overcome one's reluctance and endure a (previously specified) situation. | |
I know you don't like working with him, but you'll just have to wear it. | |
5. v. To eat away at, erode, diminish, or consume gradually; to cause a gradual deterioration in; to produce (some change) through attrition, exposure, or constant use. | |
You're going to wear a hole in the bottom of those shoes. The water has slowly worn a channel into these rocks. Long illness had worn the bloom from her cheeks. Exile had worn | |
6. v. (intransitive) To undergo gradual deterioration; become impaired; be reduced or consumed gradually due to any continued process, activity, or use. | |
The tiles were wearing thin due to years of children's feet. | |
7. v. To exhaust, fatigue, expend, or weary. | |
His neverending criticism has finally worn my patience. Toil and care soon wear the spirit. Our physical advantage allowed us to wear the other team out and win. | |
8. v. (intransitive) To last or remain durable under hard use or over time; to retain usefulness, value, or desirable qualities under any continued strain or long period of time; sometimes said of a person | |
Don't worry, this fabric will wear. These pants will last you for years. This color wears so well. I must have washed this sweater a thousand times. I have to say, our friendship ha | |
9. v. (intransitive, colloquial) (in the phrase "wearing on (someone)") To cause annoyance, irritation, fatigue, or weariness near the point of an exhaustion of patience. | |
Her high pitched voice is really wearing on me lately. | |
10. v. (intransitive, of time) To pass slowly, gradually or tediously. | |
wear on, wear away. As the years wore on, we seemed to have less and less in common. | |
11. v. (nautical) To bring (a sailing vessel) onto the other tack by bringing the wind around the stern (as opposed to tacking when the wind is brought around the bow); to come round on another tack by turni | |
12. n. (in combination) clothing | |
footwear; outdoor wear; maternity wear | |
13. n. damage to the appearance and/or strength of an item caused by use over time | |
14. n. fashion | |
15. v. (now chiefly UK dialectal transitive) To guard; watch; keep watch, especially from entry or invasion. | |
16. v. (now chiefly UK dialectal transitive) To defend; protect. | |
17. v. (now chiefly UK dialectal transitive) To ward off; prevent from approaching or entering; drive off; repel. | |
to wear the wolf from the sheep | |
18. v. (now chiefly UK dialectal transitive) To conduct or guide with care or caution, as into a fold or place of safety. | |
19. n. dated form of weir | |