as in wear
the result of long and hard use
my favorite jeans finally succumbed to wear and tear and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wear and tear
City officials have said that moving to one provider would lower trash bills for most customers and would reduce wear and tear on city streets, along with noise and pollution, since fewer trucks would be driving to pick up waste weekly.
—
Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2025
Finally, the independent prop steering is said to decrease wear and tear on internal outboard components.
—New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2025
This neck fusion surgery is the culmination of years of wear and tear.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
So far, few if any papers have looked at the issue in humans, though preliminary studies attempt to replicate aspects of mouths in a lab, by simulating wear and tear from liquid and friction.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wear and tear
Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2025
Finally, the independent prop steering is said to decrease wear and tear on internal outboard components.
—New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2025
This neck fusion surgery is the culmination of years of wear and tear.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
So far, few if any papers have looked at the issue in humans, though preliminary studies attempt to replicate aspects of mouths in a lab, by simulating wear and tear from liquid and friction.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wear and tear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wear and tear
wear
Noun
-
In the world of vision wear, blue-light blocking lenses are becoming popular.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The nautical cardigan The preppy trend is riding high for fall 2025, which means injecting a bit of knitwear with nautical notes into your everyday wear only makes sense.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Glamour,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wear and tear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wear%20and%20tear. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share