I. ˈwa(a)](ə)r, ˈwe], ]ə verb
( wore ˈwō(ə)r, ˈwȯ(ə)r, -ōə, -ȯ(ə) ; worn ˈwō(ə)rn, ˈwȯ(ə)rn, -ōən, -ȯ(ə)n ; or nonstandard wore ; wearing ; wears )
Etymology: Middle English weren, from Old English werian to clothe, put on, wear; akin to Old High German werien to clothe, Old Norse verja to clothe, invest, spend, Gothic wasjan to clothe, Latin vestis clothing, garment, Greek hennynai to clothe, esthēs clothing, Sanskrit vaste he puts on, wears
transitive verb
1. : to bear or have upon the person
wore a coat
wear a riding habit
: to have attached to the body or part of it or to the clothing
wore a ring on her left hand
wear a necklace
wore a badge on his lapel
wore a red ribbon in her hair
2.
a. : to use habitually for clothing or adornment
wears a toupee
wears size eleven shoes
still wearing black for her husband
b. : to carry on or as if on the person
wear a sword
wear a cane
wears the stamp of suffering on his face
these sixty years he wears lightly — I.A.Gordon
3.
a. : to hold the rank or dignity or position signified by (an ornament)
wear the royal crown
wear the palm
born to wear the purple
b. : to have or show an appearance of
wore a happy smile
his face wore its usual solemn expression
if malice and vanity wear the coat of philanthropy — R.W.Emerson
c. : to show or fly (a flag or colors) on a ship
4.
a. : to cause to deteriorate by use
gave away suits she had scarcely worn
b. : to impair or diminish by use or attrition : consume or waste gradually
age had worn and sharpened the fine features — Virginia Woolf
— used often with away
letters on the stone had been worn away by weathering
or down
mountains worn down to low hills
or off
silver plating worn off here and there
or through
coat worn through at the elbows
5. : to cause or produce gradually by friction or attrition
wear a channel in the rock
wear a hole in the rug
6. : to exhaust or lessen the strength of : weary , fatigue
the strain of the war had been wearing them — Lucien Price
7. archaic : to let (time) go by : pass , spend
8. : to cause (a ship) to go about by putting the helm up instead of down as in tacking so that the vessel's stern is presented to the wind
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to endure use : last under use or the passage of time
this coat material should wear for years
b. : to retain quality or vitality
attempt to find out how certain orchestral works are … wearing — Deems Taylor
2. : to diminish or decay through use
heels of his boots were wearing unevenly
: suffer damage or extinction by use or by passage of time : pass — used usually with away, off, on, out
his patience began to wear away
waiting for the effect of the drug to wear off
it grew colder as the day wore on
3. : to grow or become by or as if by attrition or use — used with some adjectives
his stock of money began to wear very low — Sir Walter Scott
felt his temper wearing thin and ready to snap
hair wearing thin on top
4. Scotland : proceed , progress
5. of a ship : to go about by turning the stern to the wind — compare tack 1b
•
- wear blue
- wear green
- wear on
- wear stripes
- wear the trousers
- wear the willow
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English were, from weren to wear
1. : the act of wearing or state of being worn : use
clothes for everyday wear
a 5-year-old ox will have all his teeth in wear — Animal Management
discarded after years of hard wear
2.
a. : clothing or an article of clothing usually of a particular kind or fashionable style ; especially : clothing worn for a special occasion or popular during a specific period
examples of beautiful 16th century glove wear
motley's the only wear — Shakespeare
— often used in combination
fashions in neck wear
fabric expressly for travel wear — Women's Wear Daily
b. : fashion , vogue
realizes that the flowers from his garden may not always be the wear — H.S.Canby
3. : wearing quality : durability under use
shown 2 to 2 1/2 times the wear life of comparable gauges … of all silk hose — W.E.Shinn
4. : the result of wearing or use : diminution or impairment due to use
better cornering and reduced tire wear on turns — Annual Report General Motors Corp.
wear -resistant surface
III. ˈwi(ə)r\ transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English weren to defend, protect, from Old English werian — more at weir
Scot & dialect England : to collect and drive (as sheep) into an enclosure