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
  • Many vacuum trucks also have a separate compartment filled with clean water, which staffers then use to wash out the porta potty’s entire interior—the tank, as well as the walls, ceiling, and floors.
    — Sarah Kuta, Popular Science, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Roads washed out, driving thousands of people from their homes.
    — Adam Burke, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of wash out
Verb
  • At the Supreme Court, the justices seemed divided on Tuesday in a case that could undermine the ability of many federal regulatory agencies to fine businesses that violate federal laws.
    — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Those reactions suggest most Republicans hold Trump solely or partly responsible for their party’s midterm losses, a perception that could undermine his influence in the GOP going forward.
    — Scott Clement, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of undermine
Verb
  • The team noted that the peak in 2025 coincides with eroding trust in public health following the COVID pandemic, rising vaccine hesitancy and growing parental skepticism around newborn interventions.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Since most American workers don’t stay in one place throughout the course of their career, these fees could significantly erode their retirement savings.
    — Jeff Stevenson, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 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 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gauntlet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All