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

The lubricant reduces the friction between the two parts and prevents them from wearing out too quickly. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2026

Available in chocolate brown and black leather, the booties come with a breathable footbed that won’t leave your feet feeling heavy and worn out after a full day (or three) of exploring. — Abby Hepworth, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2026

According to Jewish tradition, worn out sacred texts can’t be casually discarded; instead, they are stored in a geniza, a repository usually located within a synagogue or buried at a Jewish cemetery. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Electric trucks weigh thousands of pounds more than traditional trucks, so their tires wear out faster and need replacing more often. — Los Angeles Times, 29 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