Meaning of wear in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  3. Noun
    1. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /wɛr/

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    UK accent

  1. Verb

    wear

    Etymology

    Old English werian, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin vestis‘clothing’

    Definitions

    1. be dressed in

    Examples

    • « She was wearing yellow that day »

    Derived terms

  2. 2. have on one's person

    Examples

    • « He wore a red ribbon »
    • « bear a scar »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. have in one's aspect

    Examples

    • « wear an expression of one's attitude or personality »
    • « He always wears a smile »
  4. 4. deteriorate through use or stress

    Examples

    • « The constant friction wore out the cloth »
  5. 5. have or show an appearance of

    Examples

    • « wear one's hair in a certain way »
  6. 6. last and be usable

    Examples

    • « This dress wore well for almost ten years »
  7. 7. go to pieces

    Examples

    • « The lawn mower finally broke »
    • « The gears wore out »
    • « The old chair finally fell apart completely »
  8. 8. exhaust or tire through overuse or great strain or stress

    Examples

    • « We wore ourselves out on this hike »

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

  9. 9. put clothing on one's body

    Examples

    • « 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 »

    Derived terms

  10. Noun

    wear

    Definitions

    1. impairment resulting from long use

    Examples

    • « the tires showed uneven wear »

    Derived terms

  11. 2. a covering designed to be worn on a person's body

    Derived terms

  12. 3. the act of having on your person as a covering or adornment

    Examples

    • « she bought it for everyday wear »

    Derived terms

Famous quotes

  • « I mean, I do wear a wedding ring and take it off when I shoot. »
    Henry Ian Cusick
  • « I'm a mom, so I have to be comfortable. Jeans are a staple - I have way too many in my closet! It's warm in Florida, so I wear jeans and a tank top every day. I love my True Religions, my Rich and Skinny, and Citizens of Humanity. But I also love getting dressed up! »
    Candace Cameron Bure
  • « I wear a necklace, cause I wanna know when I'm upside down. »
    Mitch Hedberg
  • « In Hollywood today, it's cool for guys to wear nail polish and earrings in their lips and tongues. I don't get it. »
    Scott Caan
  • « The reason women don't play football is because 11 of them would never wear the same outfit in public. »
    Phyllis Diller

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