wear¹ /wār/

1. To be dressed in
2. To carry on the body
3. To arrange (one's clothes, etc) in a specified way
4. To display, show
5. (of eg the face) to exhibit (an expression, etc)
6. To carry the burden of (one's age, years, experience, etc) eg lightly
7. (of a ship) to fly (a flag)
8. To consume, waste or damage by use, time or exposure
9. To make or render by friction or constant use
10. To exhaust, to weary
11. To bring gradually (into a frame of mind, etc; old)
12. To introduce (an idea) little by little (into someone's mind; old)
13. To enable to last, endure (Scot) /wēr/
14. To spend (a period of time; poetic)
15. To traverse (Spenser)
16. To edge, guide or conduct, eg sheep into a fold (Scot)
17. To tolerate, accept or believe (informal)

1. To waste away by use or time
2. To be reduced or impaired little by little
3. (of time) to be spent or pass, esp tediously
4. To last under use
5. To resist the ravages of age
6. To stand the test of time
7. To be in fashion (Shakespeare)
8. To pass (into a next stage or phase)
9. To become (obsolete)
10. To go, move or progress slowly (Scot)

1. The act of wearing or state of being worn
2. Reduction or impairment of by use or friction
3. Durability
4. Fitness for wearing
5. Articles worn (usu in combination, as in menswear)
6. Fashion

wearabilˈity noun

wearˈable adjective

1. Fit to be worn
2. Good for wearing

wearˈer noun

wearˈing adjective

1. Made or designed for wear
2. Exhausting
3. Consuming

1. The process of wasting by attrition or time
2. The fact of carrying on the body, or displaying, flying, etc
3. Durability
4. The process of passing
5. That which is worn, clothes (obsolete)

wearˈingly adverb

wearˈing-apparel noun (old)

Dress

wearing course noun

The upper layer of a bitumen or asphalt road or pavement

wear iron noun

An iron plate fitted in a mechanism to absorb wear due to friction

the worse for wear

1. Showing signs of wear, worn
2. Showing signs of exhaustion, intoxication, etc (informal)

wear and tear or (rare) tear and wear

Damage by wear or use

wear away

1. To impair or consume, or be reduced or impaired, by wear
2. To decay or fade out
3. To pass off

wear down

1. To reduce or impair, or be reduced or impaired, by constant use or friction
2. To diminish or overcome (eg resistance) gradually by persistence

wear off

1. To rub off by friction
2. To diminish by decay
3. To pass away by degrees

wear on

(of time) to pass by, esp tediously

wear out

1. To impair by use
2. To render or become useless through age, use or decay
3. To exhaust or consume
4. To harass or tire utterly

wear thin

1. To become thin or threadbare through use
2. (of patience) to diminish with excessive calls on it
3. (of excuses) to become less convincing through over-use

wear through

To develop a hole through friction or intensive use

(win and) wear

To (win and) enjoy possession of (eg a wife; old)

wear² /wār/ (nautical)

To alter the course of (a ship) or (of a ship) to alter course by turning the stern to windward in a manoeuvre as opposed to tacking

wear³ /wēr/

wear⁴ or weir /wēr/ (Scot)

1. To guard
2. To ward off

weir¹ or wear /wēr/

1. A dam across a river
2. A fence of stakes set in a stream for catching fish

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