wear

wear¹ W1S1 [weə US wer] v past tense wore [wo: US wo:r] past participle worn [wo:n US wo:rn]

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1¦(on your body)¦

2¦(hair)¦

3¦(damage)¦

4 wear well

5¦(expression)¦

6 something is wearing thin

7 wear the trousers

8 wear your heart on your sleeve

Phrasal verbs

　wear away

　wear down

　wear off

　wear on

　wear out

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[: Old English; Origin: werian]

1.) ¦(ON YOUR BODY)¦ [T]

to have something such as clothes, shoes, or jewellery on your body

▪ Susanna was wearing a black silk dress.

▪ He wore glasses for reading.

wear a seat belt

(=have it around yourself)

wear black/white/red etc

▪ Usually I wear black, grey, or brown.

wear sth to a party/a dance/an interview etc

▪ I'm wearing a scarlet dress to the party.

2.) ¦(HAIR)¦ [T]

to have your hair or ↑beard in a particular style or shape

▪ She wore her hair loose.

3.) ¦(DAMAGE)¦ [I and T]

to become thinner or weaker after continuous use, or to make something do this

▪ The cushions are starting to wear a little.

▪ His jeans have worn thin at the knees.

▪ You've worn a hole in your sock.

4.) wear well

a) to remain in good condition after a period of time

▪ The tyres on the car seem to be wearing well.

b) if someone is wearing well, they look younger than they really are

▪ He must have been around his mid-forties at least, but he'd worn well.

5.) ¦(EXPRESSION)¦ [T]

to have a particular expression on your face

wear a smile/frown/grin etc

▪ His face wore a welcoming smile.

6.) sth is wearing thin

a) if something is wearing thin, you are bored with it because it is not interesting any more, or has become annoying

▪ The film begins well but the joke wears thin after about ten minutes.

b) if your patience is wearing thin, you have very little left, because of a delay or problem

7.) wear the trousers

BrE wear the pants AmE informal to be the person in a family who makes the decisions

8.) wear your heart on your sleeve informal

to show your true feelings openly

>wearable adj

wear away phr v

to gradually become thinner or smoother, or to make something become like this, because of rubbing or touching

▪ The leather is starting to wear away at the seams.

wear sth<=>away

▪ Most of the grass had already been worn away by the spectators.

wear down phr v

1.) to gradually become flatter or smoother, or to make something become like this, because of rubbing or use

▪ My shoes have worn down at the heel.

wear sth<=>down

▪ Its teeth were worn down.

2.) wear sb<=>down

to gradually make someone physically weaker or less determined

▪ It was clear he was being worn down by the rumours over his future.

wear off phr v

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

▪ It was funny for a while but the novelty soon wore off.

wear on phr v

if time wears on, it passes very slowly, especially when you are waiting for something to happen

▪ I was feeling more tired as the night wore on .

wear out phr v

1.) to become damaged and useless, or to make something like this by using it a lot or for a long time

▪ My boots are beginning to wear out.

wear sth<=>out

▪ He travels so much he actually wears out suitcases.

2.) wear sb out

to make someone feel extremely tired

= ↑exhaust

▪ All this shopping has worn us out.

wear yourself out

▪ Illness and death came suddenly; over the years she had simply worn herself out.

3.) wear out your welcome

to stay with someone longer than they want you to

→↑worn out

wear ²

wear² n [U]

1.) the clothes worn for a particular occasion or activity, or by a particular group of people

evening/casual/leisure etc wear

▪ a new range of casual wear

▪ bridal wear

▪ the children's wear department

→↑footwear, ↑menswear

2.) damage caused by continuous use over a long period

▪ Replace your trainers when they start to show signs of wear .

▪ Check the equipment for wear and tear .

3.) the amount of use an object, piece of clothing etc has had, or the use you can expect to get from it

▪ The dress stood up to the wear small children give their clothes.

▪ You'll get years of wear out of that coat.

→the worse for wear at ↑worse¹ (7)