wear

1 verb past tense wore past participle worn

1 ON YOUR BODY (T) to have something such as clothes, shoes, or jewellery on your body: I'm going to wear a black dress and my diamond earrings. | Why aren't you wearing your glasses? | wear a seatbelt (=put it around yourself) | wear blue/black/red etc: I rarely wear bright colors. | wear sth to a party/dance/interview etc: You can't wear jeans to the opera.

2 HAIR (T) to have your hair or beard in a particular style or shape: Fay wore her hair in a ponytail.

3 BECOME DAMAGED (I) to become thinner or weaker after continuous use: The stair carpet has worn in places.

4 HOLE (T) to change the shape or condition of something by using it a lot or gradually damaging it: wear a hole/groove/gap etc in sth: You've worn a hole in these socks.

5 wear well to remain in good condition without becoming broken or damaged after a period of time: The concrete buildings of the 60s haven't worn well.

6 EXPRESSION (T) to have a particular expression on your face: wear a frown/smile/grin: Harry's face wore a broad grin.

7 sth is wearing thin if an excuse, explanation, opinion etc is wearing thin, it has been used so often that you no longer believe or accept it: Neil says he has to work late again - I think that excuse is wearing thin.

8 wear the trousers BrE, wear the pants AmE informal to be the person in a family who makes the decisions.

9 not wear sth BrE spoken used to say that you will not allow or accept something: Jane came home after 2 a.m. - I'm not wearing that.

10 wear your heart on your sleeve informal to show your true feelings openly

— wearable adjective wear away phrasal verb (I, T) to gradually damage something or make it get thinner or weaker by using it, rubbing it etc: wear sth away: The cliff face is being worn away by the sea. wear down phrasal verb

1 (I, T) to gradually become smaller or make something smaller, for example by rubbing it or using it a lot: My shoes have worn down at the heel.

2 (T) to make someone physically weaker or less determined: wear sb down: Haig's bullying was wearing me down..

wear off phrasal verb (I)

1 if pain or the effect of something wears off, it gradually stops: The effects of the anaesthetic were starting to wear off.

2 the novelty wears off used to say that you stop feeling interested or excited about something because it is no longer new

wear on phrasal verb (I) if time wears on, it passes very slowly, especially when you are waiting for something to happen: As the night wore on there was still no news of the missing plane. wear out phrasal verb (I, T)

1 to cause a lot of damage to something by using it a lot or for a long time so that it can no longer be used: Damn! My camera batteries have worn out. | wear sth out: I've worn out the soles of my shoes.

2 to make someone feel extremely tired; exhaust 1 (1): wear sb out: Two nights without sleep have worn me out. | wear yourself out: The baby has stopped crying. I think he's worn himself out.

—see also: worn out 2 noun

1 (U) damage caused by continuous use over a long period: The carpet is showing signs of wear.

2 (U) the amount of use an object, piece of clothing etc has had, or the use you can expect to get from it: Considering the wear it's had, your coat's in good condition. | have/get a lot of wear out of sth: You'll get a lot of wear out of a canvas tent. | a lot of wear is left in sth (=it is still useful or can still be worn)

3 sportswear/evening wear/childrens' wear etc the clothes worn for a particular occasion or activity, or by a particular group of people: a new range of casual wear | the menswear department | footwear (=shoes)

4 wear and tear the amount of damage you expect to be caused to furniture, cars, equipment etc when they are used for a long period of time: normal/everyday wear and tear: The washer should last for ten years allowing for normal wear and tear.

—see also: the worse for wear worse 1 (8)