wear thin

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.

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

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wear′er n.

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

wear thin - deteriorate through use or stress; "The constant friction wore out the cloth"wear off, wear down, 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"