tiredtired /taɪəd $ taɪrd/ ●●● S1 W2 adjective 
I’m so tired I could sleep for a week.too tired to do something He was too tired to argue. He looks tired out (=very tired). ‘No,’ Frank said in a tired voice.2 tired of (doing) something bored with something, because it is no longer interesting, or has become annoying: I’m tired of watching television; let’s go for a walk. I was getting tired of all her negative remarks.3familiar and boring OPP fresh: tired old speeches—tiredness noun [uncountable]—tiredly adverb → dog-tired, → be sick (and tired) of something at sick1(6)GRAMMAR: Prepositions with tired• If you are tired of doing something, you do not want to do it anymore because it has started to annoy or bore you: · I’m tired of explaining it. ✗Don’t say: I’m tired from explaining it.• If you are tired from doing something, you feel tired because you have used a lot of effort: · He was tired from walking all day. ✗Don’t say: He was tired of walking all day.THESAURUStired feeling that you want to sleep or rest: · I was really tired the next day.· the tired faces of the childrenexhausted extremely tired: · I was exhausted after the long trip home.· He sat down, exhausted.· She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.worn out [not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard: · With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.weary /ˈwɪəri $ ˈwɪr-/ written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time: · weary travellers· a weary sigh· He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.fatigued formal very tired: · They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.· Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.drained [not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone: · Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.bushed/beat [not before noun] informal very tired: · I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.· I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.knackered British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use – do not use it in polite conversation: · By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.shattered [not before noun] British English informal extremely tired: · When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.dead spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep: · I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.almost asleepsleepy wanting to sleep very soon, so that your eyes start to close: · I’m feeling quite sleepy. I think I’ll go to bed.· She rubbed her sleepy eyes.drowsy starting to sleep because you are in a warm place, have drunk too much alcohol, or have taken medicine: · The tablets can make you feel drowsy.· She was beginning to feel a little drowsy after all the food and wine she had consumed.can’t keep your eyes open/can hardly keep your eyes open to feel so tired that you find it difficult to stay awake: · I’d better get some rest – I can’t keep my eyes open.· He had been driving all night, and he could hardly keep his eyes open.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Can we stop soon? I'm getting really tired.
- I'm so tired!
- I've never seen him look so tired.
- I tried to watch the news on TV, but I was too tired to stay awake.
- I usually feel too tired to cook dinner after a day at the office.
- Look at their tired little faces.
- Overly tired drivers can be nearly as dangerous as drunk drivers.
- She had tired-looking bags under her eyes.
- the tired parents of newborns
- The kids were really tired, so we sent them to bed.
- They came back from their long walk, tired but relaxed.
- We sat down and stretched out our tired legs.
- But I feel terribly tired and completely lacking in self-confidence.
- Happily tired, we then crawled off to bed.
- I was tired of the masquerade myself - it had gone too far without me meaning it.
- Let him rest if he becomes tired or frustrated.
- She felt sad and immensely tired that she was about to see for the first time how Eddie had died.
- She stayed in the chair as dusk crept over the garden below, too physically and mentally tired to move.
- That night I was just too tired to go to the team party.
THESAURUS
feeling that you want to sleep or rest: · I was really tired the next day.· the tired faces of the children
extremely tired: · I was exhausted after the long trip home.· He sat down, exhausted.· She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
[not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard: · With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.
written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time: · weary travellers· a weary sigh· He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.
formal very tired: · They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.· Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.
[not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone: · Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.
[not before noun] informal very tired: · I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.· I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.
British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use – do not use it in polite conversation: · By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.
[not before noun] British English informal extremely tired: · When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.
spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep: · I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.
almost asleep wanting to sleep very soon, so that your eyes start to close: · I’m feeling quite sleepy. I think I’ll go to bed.· She rubbed her sleepy eyes.
starting to sleep because you are in a warm place, have drunk too much alcohol, or have taken medicine: · The tablets can make you feel drowsy.· She was beginning to feel a little drowsy after all the food and wine she had consumed.
to feel so tired that you find it difficult to stay awake: · I’d better get some rest – I can’t keep my eyes open.· He had been driving all night, and he could hardly keep his eyes open.
Longman Language Activatortired after exercise or work · I usually feel too tired to cook dinner after a day at the office.· We sat down and stretched out our tired legs.· They came back from their long walk, tired but relaxed.· Overly tired drivers can be nearly as dangerous as drunk drivers.get tired (=start to feel tired) · Can we stop soon? I'm getting really tired.
very tired, especially because you have been doing a sport or other hard physical activity, and you have used all your energy: · I was exhausted every day when I first started teaching, but I'm used to it now.· The exhausted dancers collapsed as they stepped off the stage.exhausted from/by: · The five of them were still exhausted from their 36-hour train ride.completely/absolutely exhausted: · We had been walking for over 20 miles, and we were completely exhausted.
very tired, especially after a lot of hard work, physical exercise, or travelling: · Come in and sit down. You look worn out.· The men had been working in the fields all day and they were tired out.tired out/worn out from/by: · Susan and Lloyd were both tired out from feeding, bathing, and putting the children to bed.
British very tired, especially as a result of mental effort or worry: · When he came out of the exam he felt shattered.· I've had a terrible day at the office and I'm absolutely shattered.
written so tired after a very long period of working, travelling, or great mental effort that you feel you can hardly continue with what you are doing: · After the hike the two were so weary they fell asleep immediately.· Snow in Boston closed down the airport, causing even more delays for weary travellers.grow weary: · My head grew weary from trying to follow his arguments.
very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone, especially as a result of an unpleasant emotional experience, such as being worried, upset, or shocked: · By the end of the day I felt drained, with nothing to show for all my work.· After losing the game, Coach Saylor came to the press conference looking and sounding emotionally drained.
British very tired: · I've been up since four o'clock this morning - I'm absolutely knackered!· When you're training a team sometimes it's good to push them until they're knackered.
American informal very tired: · Wow, I'm pooped. I don't feel like going to the gym tonight.· You look beat - what have you been doing?· Will you excuse me? I'm bushed - I think I'll go to bed.
informal to be so tired that you are almost unable to stay standing: · After fourteen hours of non-stop work I was dead on my feet.· For goodness' sake go home! You look ready to drop.
wanting to sleep · The kids were really tired, so we sent them to bed.· I tried to watch the news on TV, but I was too tired to stay awake.
if you are sleepy , you want to sleep immediately and your eyes are starting to close: · "Aren't you sleepy?" "No, I took a nap this afternoon."· It's no easy task getting three sleepy children out of the car and into the house.· We arrived at the hotel late at night, and were too sleepy to notice how beautiful it was.
starting to sleep because you are in a warm place or because you have drunk alcohol or taken medicine: · You shouldn't drive after taking these pills - they can make you drowsy.· Len had drunk too much wine, and he felt cosy and drowsy in spite of the coffee.
very nearly asleep because you are tired and sleepy: · "Wyatt, what is it?" Sue called, half-asleep, from the bedroom.· Moira was half-asleep when the phone rang and it took her a few seconds to realize what it was.
to feel so tired that you find it hard to stay awake: · I can't keep my eyes open - I've got to go to bed.· The kids were still full of energy, but Julie and I could hardly keep our eyes open.· By the time we finally got home, I could barely keep my eyes open.
tired and having no interest in anything feeling tired and lazy, as if you have no interest in doing anything: · All this hot weather is making me feel lethargic.· Patients with depression may be lethargic during the day and unable to sleep at night.· The spectacular play inspired his lethargic teammates to start playing harder.
feeling tired and not interested in anything, especially because you are ill: · Tim is listless on the job and keeps making dumb mistakes.· The last few years of my mother's life she was tired and listless most of the time.· She had to keep thinking up new ways to hold the attention of her listless pupils.
looking tired · I've never seen him look so tired.tired eyes/face etc · Look at their tired little faces.· She had tired-looking bags under her eyes.
especially British looking tired and unhealthy: · The last time I saw Helena she was looking pretty washed-out. Is she alright?
with red, half-open eyes, especially as a result of lack of sleep: · After twelve hours of driving Jean was bleary-eyed and stiff.· The bleary-eyed engineers were still hard at work when everyone else arrived the next day.
someone who looks drawn is tired from illness, worry, or working too hard, and their face looks thin and pale: · Terry's face was pale and drawn when she finally arrived.· The emergency meeting had lasted all night, and the President looked drawn as he read the statement.
to become tired · If you get tired, just stop for a while.· We talked until we both got tired and decided to go to bed.· Since her illness, she finds that she gets tired really easily.
to start to get tired, especially if you are doing something that needs a lot of energy: · Jenny taught for four hours straight without flagging.· By the fifth game, I could see that my opponent was beginning to flag.
to become tired by doing things that take a lot of effort: · The baby's stopped crying. He must have tired himself out.· You're going to wear yourself out if you keep working so hard.· My poor mother had exhausted herself trying to get ready for company.
to become tired, ill, and unable to continue, as a result of working too hard for too long, especially because you want very much to be successful: · If you don't stop working nights and weekends, you'll burn yourself out.· Most of these high-flying young executives burn out before they're 30.
to become so tired that you do not have enough energy to finish what you are doing, especially when you have been working hard for a long time: · The home team seemed to run out of steam well before the game was over.· Gail started the project with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but at some point she just ran out of steam.
to become tired because of things that you do: · Get plenty of rest and try not to tire yourself unnecessarily.
to make someone feel tired: tire/wear somebody out · Their constant quarrelling is wearing us out.tire/wear out somebody · The thin air at high altitudes usually tires out people who are not used to the mountains.
to make someone feel very tired: · The effort of swimming against the current exhausted him.it exhausts somebody to do something: · It exhausted him to talk for too long, but he loved hearing all the theater gossip.
to make someone feel tired, especially someone who gets tired easily because they are old or ill: · I won't tire you with a long visit. I just wanted to stop in and see how you were doing.
informal to make you feel as if you have no energy left: · Dale's a construction worker. You know, that sort of work really takes it out of you.· It wasn't the cooking so much as all the cleaning up that did me in.
spoken use this to say that doing a very hard job or activity made you feel extremely tired: · It nearly killed me carrying that fridge up the stairs!
making you feel tired something that is tiring makes you feel tired: · The journey was really tiring.· Sam couldn't wait for the whole tiring ordeal to be over.a tiring day/week etc: · I've had such a tiring day. I just want to take a bath and go to bed.
something that is exhausting makes you feel very weak and very tired: · She's just returned from another exhausting lecture tour.· I had to drive nine hours without a break - it was exhausting.· Starting a small business can be the most physically and mentally exhausting task you've ever done.
a hard day, journey etc is one that makes you feel very tired because you have to work very hard , travel a long distance, or deal with a lot of problems: · Taking care of a two-year-old is hard work.· It was a long hard walk back to the nearest town.· When I come home from a hard day at work, I don't feel like talking to anyone.
a person, activity, or situation that is wearing is very tiring because it uses up a lot of your mental energy: · I find her constant questions and chatter rather wearing.· Kids of that age can be very wearing, can't they?
the feeling of being tired · Tiredness and headaches are common signs of stress.· Camomile tea soothes the nerves and relieves tiredness.· A terrible tiredness had overcome her, leaving her no energy for extra activities.
the feeling of being very tired: · The soldiers were suffering from exhaustion after long days and nights of marching.· The signs of chronic exhaustion showed in Martha's face.from/with exhaustion: · One of the players collapsed with exhaustion and had to be carried off the field.
the feeling of wanting to sleep that you sometimes get when you are in a warm place or when you have drunk alcohol or taken medicine: · The drug can cause drowsiness.· Robert stopped fighting the drowsiness and sank back in the soft chair.
a feeling of being very tired and weak - used especially in medical contexts: · Symptoms of the illness include fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite.· Driving in stressful conditions can lead to muscle fatigue.· She seemed depressed and was beginning to show signs of fatigue.
formal extreme tiredness that makes you feel very lazy, so that you do not want to do anything and you are not interested in anything: · Another common symptom of a hangover is lethargy and muscular weakness.· It is not unusual for new mothers to go to the doctor complaining of tiredness, lethargy, and mild depression.
a feeling of tiredness and confusion which you sometimes get when you fly to a part of the world where the time is different from the place you have left: · I always get jet-lag when I fly from London to New York.
when you have worked so hard over a long period of time that you become too mentally and physically tired to continue: · Young boys recruited at an early age by soccer clubs often suffer from burnout before they're out of their teens.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY I’m so tired I could sleep for a week. He was too tired to argue. He looks tired out (=very tired). tired old speechesCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES He was desperately ill with a fever. You look tired. You should go to bed. The rooms, though small, were pleasant and airy. Strange though it may seem, I like housework.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
I’m so tired I could sleep for a week. He was too tired to argue. He looks tired out (=very tired). tired old speeches (=boring because it has been used so often)· The story is based on a series of tired clichés.
He was desperately ill with a fever. (also weary literary)· He rubbed his tired eyes and yawned.
· His eyes looked sleepy.· Her hair was a mess and her eyes were tired.
You look tired. You should go to bed. The rooms, though small, were pleasant and airy. Strange though it may seem, I like housework.· He should have felt as tired and inadequate as his age and circumstances dictated, but he did not.· He didn't even notice the tannoy, he was already as tired as I was and he could barely stand.· I don't think I was quite as tired as you ....· He had some poundage on me, and he wasn't as tired as I was.· It had been a long and exhausting day, and she had to admit that she felt as tired as he looked.· He looked as tired as a man could be and still stand upright.
· I didn't realise how tired I am - and I've got a lot to do tomorrow.· I hadn't realised how tired I was till I saw that bed.· He thought how tired she looked.· I know how tired she must be after the journey.· She had completely forgotten how tired and hungry she was.· Until now, he had barely spoken, except to tell me how tired he was.· She yawned, to show how tired she was, and to her dismay found her excuse was genuine.· Sitting down, he realized just how tired he was.
· Better to say nothing, and try to pretend she was just tired.· Or maybe he's just tired.· She must have been just tired, Muriel thought.
· She was more tired than she used to be, that was all.· In this circumstance we feel more tired as the evening and the night wear on.· The more tired she became the more bitterly she blamed James.· It is likely that this will make him more tired than usual and so we might guess that he will sleep longer.· Endill continued to search on his own but was becoming more and more tired.· The maid - I think her name was Anna looked a little more tired and heavy-eyed after her exertions of the previous evening.· I had grown more and more tired, energy seeped away and I had begun to sweat at night.· If you are exhausted, you can be sure the baby is even more tired.
· I was never tired now; all my old energy seemed to have returned.· Artists and poets have never tired of its historic buildings and artisan shops, richly wooded hills and lovely views.· I also know he was never tired of gazing at me as I lay on my front.· Hughes, for his part, never tired of pointing out his opponents' errors.· She was never tired till past midnight.
· I ask this because I really am getting rather tired of providing this service for my wife.· Then she kindly pushed back, as I was rather tired.· Faded was the word that sprang to mind - everything had a rather tired quality about it.· Ten minutes ago I had felt angry, rather tired, and very hard done by.· It was a revelation in its heyday, but Viz is now starting to look rather tired.· Put another way much of the conventional wisdom looks rather tired in the face of emerging realities.· Charlotte got back into London rather late that night, and rather tired, but hooked beyond redemption upon Aurae Phiala.· He still looked rather tired, having spent several weeks in hospital undergoing treatment for manic depression.
· You don't get so tired.· The men were so tired they found it hard to march.· I required a longer rest; and could I be driven home by some one, as I felt so tired?· And she was so tired of being afraid.· So tired of being the target of insults. So tired.· By the time dinner was cleared, Julia thought that she had never felt so tired.· This never worked because he was always so tired from running about the library all day he fell straight to sleep.· He had been so tired that he couldn't hear either the telephone or his alarm clock.
· He may go too far for his capabilities and get too tired to walk back safely.· If they are not too tired.· Claudia accepted his arm round her shoulders as inevitable; she was far too tired to fight him at the moment.· No one made passes at her; they were all too busy and too tired.· Or just too tired to do anything but enjoy looking at the pretty lady.· He was too tired for work but felt he must continue otherwise he would think back to Cranston's words about Benedicta.· They were too tired to notice as I crept out again.
· I often have this type of fantasy when very tired, and that certainly I was.· She was very tired: every day that week she had got up at five.· As a result, we feel very tired after a comparatively short time.· Brian was tired, very tired.· I was very tired and began to feel ill.· Instead she felt very, very tired.· I was very tired, and fell asleep as the three men talked.· She felt very tired and as she shifted position she detected an ache in her left hip.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
- But by then, the hedgehog was tired of waiting and was walking away across the croquet-ground.
- His sister, Marie, his children-they had all grown tired of him.
- I am old, and tired of life.
- It was April, his children were tired of riding, and his wife, Clara, was pregnant.
- It was possible, of course, but not likely that Zacco had grown tired of his Christmas truce.
- She is tired of being asked.
- This line has won him widespread backing among middle class voters tired of 17 uninterrupted years of Tory rule.
- We are getting tired of people behaving like prima donnas.
- Gad, I was sick and tired of life.
- I think the archivist who helped me is sick of the sight of me by now.
- I was sick of concealments - those retentions of his.
- I was sick of following baseball through the abbreviated box scores of the international Herald Tribune.
- No one, knowing the Patriarch, could doubt that, after a day of his voice, Zacco was sick of him.
- People were sick of the war.
- We are sick and tired of the proliferation of guns.
- When we first started we were sick of the way many groups would adopt a cool persona for interviews.
WORD FAMILYadjectivetiredtirelesstiresometiringnountirednessverbtireadverbtirelessly
1feeling that you want to sleep or restso tired (that) I’m so tired I could sleep for a week.too tired to do something He was too tired to argue. He looks tired out (=very tired). ‘No,’ Frank said in a tired voice.2 tired of (doing) something bored with something, because it is no longer interesting, or has become annoying: I’m tired of watching television; let’s go for a walk. I was getting tired of all her negative remarks.3familiar and boring OPP fresh: tired old speeches—tiredness noun [uncountable]—tiredly adverb → dog-tired, → be sick (and tired) of something at sick1(6)GRAMMAR: Prepositions with tired• If you are tired of doing something, you do not want to do it anymore because it has started to annoy or bore you: · I’m tired of explaining it. ✗Don’t say: I’m tired from explaining it.• If you are tired from doing something, you feel tired because you have used a lot of effort: · He was tired from walking all day. ✗Don’t say: He was tired of walking all day.THESAURUStired feeling that you want to sleep or rest: · I was really tired the next day.· the tired faces of the childrenexhausted extremely tired: · I was exhausted after the long trip home.· He sat down, exhausted.· She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.worn out [not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard: · With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.weary /ˈwɪəri $ ˈwɪr-/ written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time: · weary travellers· a weary sigh· He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.fatigued formal very tired: · They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.· Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.drained [not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone: · Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.bushed/beat [not before noun] informal very tired: · I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.· I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.knackered British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use – do not use it in polite conversation: · By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.shattered [not before noun] British English informal extremely tired: · When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.dead spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep: · I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.almost asleepsleepy wanting to sleep very soon, so that your eyes start to close: · I’m feeling quite sleepy. I think I’ll go to bed.· She rubbed her sleepy eyes.drowsy starting to sleep because you are in a warm place, have drunk too much alcohol, or have taken medicine: · The tablets can make you feel drowsy.· She was beginning to feel a little drowsy after all the food and wine she had consumed.can’t keep your eyes open/can hardly keep your eyes open to feel so tired that you find it difficult to stay awake: · I’d better get some rest – I can’t keep my eyes open.· He had been driving all night, and he could hardly keep his eyes open.