Meaning & use
wear out
Last updated
“wear out” is a form of “wear out”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
To become damaged, thin, or unusable after being used repeatedly.
Grammar: No object; often used with things like clothes, shoes, or machines.
Patterns
- wear out
- wear out from use
My running shoes wore out after only six months.
The carpet is starting to wear out in the hallway.
Cheap batteries wear out quickly.
verbtransitive
To make something damaged, thin, or unusable through repeated use.
Grammar: Takes an object: wear out your shoes.
Patterns
- wear out something
- wear something out
He wears out his jeans within a year.
The children have worn out the sofa cushions.
Don't wear out the motor by running it too long.
verbtransitive
To exhaust someone's energy or patience.
Grammar: Takes a person as object: the long trip wore us out.
Patterns
- wear out someone
- wear someone out
The long shift wore her out completely.
Those noisy neighbors are wearing my patience out.
A full day of shopping wears me out.
Word forms
| third person singular | wears out |
|---|---|
| past tense | wore out |
| past participle | worn out |
| -ing form | wearing out |
Common combinations
- wear out shoes
- Kids wear out shoes faster than adults.
- wear out your welcome
- After three weeks, he began to wear out his welcome.
- worn out from
- She was worn out from working two jobs.
- wear out quickly
- These cheap tires wear out quickly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- exhaust
- Exhaust is more formal and means to make someone extremely tired; wear out is more everyday and can also mean to damage something through use.
- tire
- Tire means to become or make someone tired; it doesn't suggest damage to objects like wear out does.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: wear out or wear off?
wear out vs wear off
Wear off means to gradually disappear, as in 'the pain wore off'; wear out means to become damaged or exhausted.
Practice
Complete the sentence: After walking all day, my feet were completely ______.
Choose one answer.
The past participle 'worn out' is used after 'were' to describe a state of exhaustion. 'Wore out' is simple past, 'wear out' is the base form, and 'wearing out' is the -ing form, none of which fit after 'were' here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wear out”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.