wear 1 of 2

verb

ˈwer How to pronounce wear (audio)
Definition of wearnext
1
as in to erode
to damage or diminish by continued friction all that walking every day wore the soles of my shoes very quickly

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2
as in to kill
to use up all the physical energy of the job of running their own business wears them sometimes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to tolerate
British to put up with (something painful or difficult) her marriage is so bad—I don't know how she wears it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

wear

2 of 2

noun

1
as in corrosion
the result of long and hard use after several years, the carpet was finally showing wear

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clothes
covering for the human body the latest in fashionable wear

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of wear
Verb
For Kimbrough, wearing Mexico's jersey is about more than soccer. — Conor McGill, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 What's the male equivalent of a woman wearing sexy underwear expecting them to be seen by her date? — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
The goal was to increase the wear to 36 hours, update it with product technology such as an oil-controlling AlgaNiacin complex leveraged from its skin care labs, and offer a more natural matte finish. — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Drying the steam protects the machinery from early wear and keeps the turbine running at peak efficiency. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wear
  1. erode
  2. kill
  3. tolerate
  4. corrosion
  5. clothing
  6. fray
  7. tire
  8. endure
Verb
  • Washington must take care, however, not to transfer defense responsibilities faster than allies can develop the capabilities to assume them—and not to do so in ways that erode trust, interoperability, and coordination.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The deck replacement is necessary because traffic loads on the span have become increasingly heavy, and salt air has eroded bridge materials.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of erode
Verb
  • Hundreds of Palestinians have been attacked and a few have been killed this olive harvest alone, which started in late September, rights groups have said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Police were investigating what caused the pickup truck to barrel through a soccer field, killing a man and a child.
    — Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of kill
Verb
  • These ingredients help maintain hydration and reduce transepidermal water loss, which can make retinoids easier to tolerate and reduce irritation.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
  • With effort, uncertainty can be not just tolerated, but embraced.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of tolerate
Noun
  • Over time, corrosion may lead to cracks that threaten their structural integrity.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Fisker Automotive said that an internal investigation supervised by transportation regulators found salt corrosion had caused a short circuit in the battery, leading to the fire, rather than a preexisting defect.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of corrosion
Noun
  • Decodo, a web data company, tracked price changes in 2025 across products ranging from electronics to clothing and home improvement supplies.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Travis Kelce reminded Chiefs fans on Sunday that one of his other day jobs is ambassador — and model — for preppy clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of clothing
Verb
  • Francisco Luna, 45, the owner of an auto repair shop, said coexistence has been frayed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • By the late 1960s, confidence in technological progress was fraying.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of fray
Verb
  • The point is not to tire yourself out, just to feel your body getting warm.
    — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • While the concept has always had Fox shocks, it was first seen with Maxxis rubber, and subsequently with Schwalbe Tacky Chan downhill tires on DT Swiss wheels last year.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of tire
Verb
  • The film explores the contradictions of a Bulgarian town pulled into Europe’s shifting geopolitical order, where arms production for Ukraine’s frontlines collides with enduring ties to Russia, personal convictions, and the everyday need to survive.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The enduring lesson of Reykjavík is not simply about nuclear weapons or diplomacy.
    — Halla Tómasdóttir, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of endure

Phrases Containing wear

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weapons
wear
wearables
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Cite this Entry

“Wear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wear. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wear

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wear

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