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Definition of wear and tear
: the loss, injury, or stress to which something is subjected by or in the course of use especially : normal depreciation
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Examples of wear and tear in a Sentence
my favorite jeans finally succumbed to wear and tear and had to be replaced
Recent Examples on the Web Barkis said that reducing traffic, and thereby wear and tear on the state’s roadways, should be a key subject in the debate over transportation funding.
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Tim Gruver, Washington Examiner, "Washington state looks at roadway funding reform amid $4.5B budget shortfall," 6 July 2020 The wear and tear of playing every four days at altitude in Utah seems to be catching up to the teams in the National Women’s Soccer League.
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oregonlive, "Portland Thorns settle for scoreless draw to Chicago Red Stars in NWSL Challenge Cup," 1 July 2020 Non-profit agencies experience damage and wear and tear just like residential homeowners.
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Houston Chronicle, "Amstill Roofing Partners with HomeAid to repair roofs for nonprofits," 13 June 2020 Still, trekking poles need to be tough enough to withstand the wear and tear of serious use.
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The Editors, Field & Stream, "Three Things to Consider Before Buying Trekking Poles," 8 June 2020 But when the threat becomes reoccurring and persistent—as is the case with police brutality—the survival process becomes dangerous and causes rapid wear and tear on body organs and elevated allostatic load.
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Bill Mckibben, The New Yorker, "Racism, Police Violence, and the Climate Are Not Separate Issues," 4 June 2020 The physiological wear and tear that results from that kind of long term struggle will manifest itself in high blood pressure and so on.
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The Atlantic, "Listen: How Racism Kills Black Americans," 3 June 2020 Hard water can also cause detergent, soap, and dirt to get trapped in clothing fibers, resulting in quicker wear and tear.
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Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, "Here’s What Causes That White Residue on Freshly Washed Clothes," 3 June 2020 His office later released an Argonne National Laboratory study that concluded relaxing the testing regimen would have cost benefits and could improve safety, since frequent equipment testing can cause wear and tear that results in accidents.
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Author: Kevin Mcgill And Matthew Brown, Anchorage Daily News, "10 years after BP spill: Oil drilled deeper; rules relaxed," 18 Apr. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wear and tear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for wear and tear
The first known use of wear and tear was in 1666
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