wear down

wear

W0030200 (wâr)v. wore (wôr), worn (wôrn), wear·ing, wears v.tr.1. To carry or have on one's person as covering, adornment, or protection: wearing a jacket; must wear a seat belt.2. To carry or have habitually on one's person, especially as an aid: wears glasses.3. To display in one's appearance: always wears a smile.4. To bear, carry, or maintain in a particular manner: wears her hair long.5. To fly or display (colors). Used of a ship, jockey, or knight.6. To damage, diminish, erode, or consume by long or hard use, attrition, or exposure. Often used with away, down, or off: rocks worn away by the sea; shoes worn down at the heels.7. To produce by constant use, attrition, or exposure: eventually wore hollows in the stone steps.8. To bring to a specified condition by long use or attrition: wore the clothes to rags; pebbles worn smooth.9. To fatigue, weary, or exhaust: Your incessant criticism has worn my patience.10. Nautical To make (a sailing ship) come about with the wind aft.v.intr.1. a. To last under continual or hard use: a fabric that will wear.b. To last through the passage of time: a friendship that wears well.2. To break down or diminish through use or attrition: The rear tires began to wear.3. To pass gradually or tediously: The hours wore on.4. Nautical To come about with stern to windward.n.1. The act of wearing or the state of being worn; use: This shirt is ideal for wear in sultry climates.2. Clothing, especially of a particular kind or for a particular use. Often used in combination: rainwear; footwear.3. Damage resulting from use or age: The rug shows plenty of wear.4. The ability to withstand impairment from use or attrition: The engine has plenty of wear left.Phrasal Verbs: wear down To break down or exhaust by relentless pressure or resistance: The child's pleading finally wore her parents down. wear off To diminish gradually in effect: The drug wore off. wear out1. To make or become unusable through long or heavy use: wore out a pair of hockey skates; a vacuum that finally wore out.2. To exhaust; tire: Raking the leaves wore me out.3. To use up or consume gradually: His complaining finally wore out my patience.Idioms: wear the pants/trousers Informal To exercise controlling authority in a household. wear thin1. To be weakened or eroded gradually: Her patience is wearing thin.2. To become less convincing, acceptable, or popular, as through repeated use: excuses that are wearing thin.

[Middle English weren, from Old English werian; see wes- in Indo-European roots.]

wear′er n.

wear down

vb (adverb) 1. to consume or be consumed by long or constant wearing, rubbing, etc2. to overcome or be overcome gradually by persistent effort

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	wear down - exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress; "We wore ourselves out on this hike"fag out, tire out, wear out, wear upon, weary, fatigue, jade, outwear, tire, fag, wearindispose - cause to feel unwell; "She was indisposed"exhaust, tucker, tucker out, wash up, beat - wear out completely; "This kind of work exhausts me"; "I'm beat"; "He was all washed up after the exam"overfatigue, overtire, overweary - tire excessively
	2.	wear down - deteriorate through use or stress; "The constant friction wore out the cloth"wear off, wear thin, wear out, weardeteriorate - become worse or disintegrate; "His mind deteriorated"ablate - wear away through erosion or vaporizationscuff - get or become scuffed; "These patent leather shoes scuffed"

wear

verb1. To consume gradually, as by chemical reaction or friction:bite, corrode, eat, erode, gnaw, wear away.2. To diminish the strength and energy of:drain, fatigue, jade, tire, wear down, wear out, weary.phrasal verb
wear awayTo consume gradually, as by chemical reaction or friction:bite, corrode, eat, erode, gnaw, wear.phrasal verb
wear downTo diminish the strength and energy of:drain, fatigue, jade, tire, wear, wear out, weary.phrasal verb
wear out1. To make extremely tired:exhaust, fag (out), tire out.Informal: knock out, tucker (out).Slang: do in, poop (out).Idioms: run ragged, take it out of.2. To diminish the strength and energy of:drain, fatigue, jade, tire, wear, wear down, weary.

Translations

desgastaruser

wear down

1. To become eroded, ground, or stripped down, as from exposure to some destructive element or force. The enamel on your teeth has worn down almost completely, which is why you've been experiencing so much pain when you eat and drink. The little chisel had worn down to a nub by the time he was finished digging.2. To erode, grind, or strip down something as a result of exposure to some destructive element or force. A noun or pronoun can be used between "wear" and "down." Frequent travel along the route has worn down the vegetation to a permanent footpath. So much use is beginning to wear down the engine—it could give out at any moment.3. To become exhausted, weakened, or fatigued by some action or force. I started wearing down from so much walking around the city. I think our horses are wearing down, so we should give them a rest.4. To cause someone or an animal to become exhausted, weakened, or fatigued. A noun or pronoun can be used between "wear" and "down." Carrying these heavy boxes up and down the stairs is wearing me down. I'm hoping a day running around the beach will wear the kids down a bit. Be sure not to wear the pack animals down, or we could end up stranded here.See also: down, wear

wear someone down

1. Fig. to exhaust someone. This hot weather wears me down. The steamy weather wore down the tourists and made them stay in their hotels. 2. Fig. to reduce someone to submission or agreement by constant badgering. Finally they wore me down and I told them what they wanted to know. The interrogation wore down the suspect.See also: down, wear

wear something down

to grind something away; to erode something. The constant rubbing of the door wore the carpet down. The rubbing of the door wore down the carpet.See also: down, wear

wear down

Fig. to break down with wear; to erode. The steps had worn down so much that each one was curved and slanted dangerously.See also: down, wear

wear down

Diminish, weaken, or tire by relentless pressure, as in The heels of these shoes are quite worn down, or Her constant nagging about getting a new car wore down his resistance. [First half of 1800s] See also: down, wear

wear down

v.1. To damage, diminish, erode, or consume something by long or hard use, attrition, or exposure: The weather wore the shingles down. The heavy crowds wore down the carpets. 2. To be gradually damaged, diminished, eroded, or consumed by long or hard use, attrition, or exposure: The water pipes have been in use for more than 100 years and are starting to wear down.3. To fatigue, weary, or exhaust someone or something: The race wore me down. The new employee is wearing down my patience.4. To become fatigued, weary, or exhausted: I was beginning to wear down, so I took a bus home instead of walking.5. To cause someone to submit by relentless pressure or resistance: By holding out, we finally wore them down. Management finally wore down the union, and the strike was ended.See also: down, wear

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Synonyms for wear down

verb exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress

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verb deteriorate through use or stress

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Related Words