wear out

verb

wore out; worn out; wearing out; wears out

transitive verb

1

: tire, exhaust

2

: to make useless especially by long or hard usage

3

: erase, efface

4

: to endure through : outlast

wear out a storm

5

: to consume (time) tediously

wear out idle days

intransitive verb

: to become useless from long or excessive wear or use

Synonyms of wear out

• wear
• kill
• tire
• exhaust
• drain
• burn out

Examples of wear out in a Sentence

keeping up with twin toddlers wears me out

Recent Examples on the Web

Before the constant stream of sarcastic Ultron commentary wears out its welcome around the series’ halfway point, the bad guy’s brevity is a nice counterpoint to all of the sentient ennui. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

But others feel alienated, misrepresented and worn out by the opposing political forces, said Carolina Almeida de Paula, a political scientist from Rio de Janeiro State University. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

The fabric is soft enough for lounging around at home, but thick enough to wear out to run errands or have dinner with your friends. — Lauren Finney Harden, InStyle, 7 Oct. 2026

Six years later, the Maine electorate is worn out by Trump, but polls still show the race as a tossup. — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for wear out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

wear out

verb

1

: to tire gradually

worn out from exercising

2

: to make or become useless by wear