wear

verb18

1. •
   To have on:
2. •
   to have something such as clothes, shoes or a ring on the body

   • He's wearing some nice pants today.
   • She wore her medals with pride.
3. •
   To have or carry on one's person habitually, consistently; or, to maintain in a particular fashion or manner.

   • He wears eyeglasses.
   • She wears her hair in braids.
4. •
   To bear or display in one's aspect or appearance.

   • She wore a smile all day.
   • He walked out of the courtroom wearing an air of satisfaction.
5. •
   To erode.
6. •
   To eat away at, erode, diminish, or consume gradually; to cause a gradual deterioration in; to produce (some change) through attrition, exposure, or constant use.

   • You're going to wear a hole in the bottom of those shoes.
   • The water has slowly worn a channel into these rocks.
7. •
   To undergo gradual deterioration; become impaired; be reduced or consumed gradually due to any continued process, activity, or use.

   • The tiles were wearing thin due to years of children's feet.
8. •
   To exhaust, fatigue, expend, or weary.

   • His neverending criticism has finally worn my patience.
   • Toil and care soon wear the spirit.
9. •
   (informal) (in the phrase "wearing on (someone)") To cause annoyance, irritation, fatigue, or weariness near the point of an exhaustion of patience.

   • Her high pitched voice is really wearing on me lately.
10. •
    To pass slowly, gradually or tediously.

    • wear on, wear away.
    • As the years wore on, we seemed to have less and less in common.
11. •
    To last or remain durable under hard use or over time; to retain usefulness, value, or desirable qualities under any continued strain or long period of time; sometimes said of a person, regarding the quality of being easy or difficult to tolerate.

    • Don't worry, this fabric will wear. These pants will last you for years.
    • This color wears so well. I must have washed this sweater a thousand times.
12. •
    To endure.
13. •
    (informal) To overcome one's reluctance and endure a (previously specified) situation.

    • I know you don't like working with him, but you'll just have to wear it.
14. •
    To bring (a sailing vessel) onto the other tack by bringing the wind around the stern (as opposed to tacking when the wind is brought around the bow); to come round on another tack by turning away from the wind.
15. •
    (dialect, UK) To guard; watch; keep watch, especially from entry or invasion.
16. •
    (dialect, UK) To defend; protect.
17. •
    (dialect, UK) To ward off; prevent from approaching or entering; drive off; repel.
18. •
    (dialect, UK) To conduct or guide with care or caution, as into a fold or place of safety.

noun5

1. •
   Wearing.

   • Softer crystals are best reserved for occasional wear, whereas harder crystals can be worn every day. — 2021
2. •
   Damage to the appearance and/or strength of an item caused by use over time.

   • Now, I still think that for this box of matches to have escaped the wear of time for immemorial years was a most strange, as for me it was a most fortunate, thing. — 1895
3. •
   [in compounds] Clothing.
4. •
   Fashion.

   • Motley's the onely weare. — 1598
5. •
   (old-fashioned) Dated form of weir.

noun1

1. •
   A river in the counties of County Durham and Tyne and Wear, north east England. The cities of Durham and Sunderland are situated upon its grand banks.