wear out

verb

wore out; worn out; wearing out; wears out

transitive verb

1
2
: to make useless especially by long or hard usage
3
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

Examples of wear out in a Sentence

keeping up with twin toddlers wears me out
Recent Examples on the Web For Cleaning Your Cutting Board When used often, cutting boards can begin to wear out over time and may even start to emit an odor. Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2024 Over the years, just like the suspension bridge, portions of the spine can wear out. Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 Drivers passed out, engines wore out and tires melted. Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024 An older, 2005 study found that alpaca fibers take longer to break than wool ones, which means the cloth is more likely to withstand pilling and less likely to wear out. Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for wear out 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wear out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of wear out was in the 14th century

Cite this Entry

“Wear out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wear%20out. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

wear out

verb
1
: to tire gradually
worn out from exercising
2
: to make or become useless by wear

More from Merriam-Webster on wear out

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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