wear (away)

verb

Definition of wear (away)next
as in to wash out

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wear (away)
  1. wash out
  2. undermine
  3. erode
Verb
  • Rainfall in the burn scar area has caused flash floods and mudslides that washed out roads and cut off communities.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The rich, yet creamy, color pairs beautifully with fall neutrals and creates a softening contrast that makes skin look healthy and vibrant, rather than washed out and dull.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of wash out
Verb
  • Self-awareness bolsters leadership while self-surveillance nearly always undermines it.
    — Carol Geffner, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Moscow has been widely accused by Western officials of running a campaign of sabotage and disruption with the aim of undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European nations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of undermine
Verb
  • But reluctance to intervene is risky too, further eroding US credibility in the region as a reliable security partner, already undermined by an Iran war that has left US allies in the Gulf region feeling dangerously exposed.
    — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Technology can erode privacy, concentrate power, damage the environment, and leave people feeling helpless.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of erode
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.

Browse Nearby Words

wear and tear
wear (away)
wear down
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wear (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wear%20%28away%29. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All