Meaning & use
tire
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To make someone lose energy and feel they need rest.
Grammar: Takes an object: the climb tired us.
Patterns
- tire someone out
- something tires someone
The long hike tired the children.
Chasing the puppy tires me out.
Hours of meetings can tire even the keenest staff.
verbintransitive
To become weary, or to lose interest or patience in something.
Grammar: No object; often followed by of: she tired of waiting.
Patterns
- tire of something
- tire easily
He tires quickly in the heat.
She never tires of hearing that story.
I tired of the game after a week.
nouncountableAmerican
A rubber ring, usually filled with air, that fits around a wheel to grip the road and absorb bumps.
Grammar: American spelling; British English writes tyre.
Patterns
- a flat tire
- change a tire
I got a flat tire on the highway.
He pumped air into the bicycle tire.
The truck needs new tires before winter.
Word forms
| third person singular | tires |
|---|---|
| past tense | tired |
| past participle | tired |
| -ing form | tiring |
| plural noun | tires |
Common combinations
- tire easily
- My grandmother tires easily after a walk.
- tire of
- They tire of the same food every day.
- tire out
- The game will tire out the dog.
- flat tire
- We stopped to fix a flat tire.
- spare tire
- The car carries a spare tire in the trunk.
Synonyms and how they differ
- exhaust
- Exhaust means to tire someone completely, stronger than tire.
- weary
- Weary as a verb is formal or literary and suggests mental fatigue.
- drain
- Drain stresses taking away energy, often emotional, rather than simple tiredness.
- wear out
- Wear out is more informal and suggests gradual tiring from repeated effort.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tire or tyre? tire or attire?
tire vs tyre
Tyre is the British spelling of the wheel noun; the verb is always tire.
tire vs attire
Attire means clothing and has nothing to do with tiredness.
Practice
My little brother never ____ of playing with his toy trains.
Choose one answer.
Third person singular present needs tires, with of. Tyres is the British wheel noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tire”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.