Meaning & use
tyres
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“tyres” is a form of “tyre”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounpluralBritish
Rubber rings, usually filled with air, fitted around the wheels of cars, bicycles and other vehicles to grip the road.
Grammar: Plural of tyre: check your tyres; singular is a tyre.
Patterns
- change the tyres
- pump up the tyres
- tyres on something
The mechanic checked the tyres before the long trip.
Bicycle tyres need regular pumping.
Worn tyres can be dangerous in wet weather.
Word forms
| singular | tyre |
|---|
Common combinations
- flat tyres
- We had two flat tyres on the same trip.
- winter tyres
- He fits winter tyres each November.
- spare tyres
- Always carry spare tyres on long trips.
- tyre pressure
- Check your tyre pressure monthly.
- change the tyres
- They changed the tyres in the garage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tires
- Tires is the American spelling of the same word, so they are interchangeable in meaning.
- wheels
- Wheels include the metal or plastic parts, while tyres are only the rubber covers.
- rubbers
- Rubbers is an informal word for tyres in some places but also has unrelated meanings, so it can confuse.
- treads
- Treads are the patterned surface of a tyre, not the whole tyre.
Word family
Commonly confused: tyres or tires? tyres or tiers?
tyres vs tires
Tires is the American spelling and is the same noun; tire is also a verb meaning to become weary.
tyres vs tiers
Tiers means layers or levels and sounds similar but is a different word.
Practice
Before the road trip, Hana pumped up the ___ on her bicycle.
Choose one answer.
Tyres are the rubber rings on wheels that can be pumped up. Tiers, tears and ties are different words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tyres”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.