wear out

verb

wore out; worn out; wearing out; wears out

transitive verb

1

: tire, exhaust

2

: to make useless especially by long or hard usage

3

: erase, efface

4

: to endure through : outlast

wear out a storm

5

: to consume (time) tediously

wear out idle days

intransitive verb

: to become useless from long or excessive wear or use

Synonyms

• break
• burn out
• bust
• do in
• do up
• drain
• exhaust
• fag
• fatigue
• frazzle
• harass
• kill
• knock out
• outwear
• tire
• tucker (out)
• wash out
• wear
• weary

Examples of wear out in a Sentence

keeping up with twin toddlers wears me out

Recent Examples on the Web

As the two rivals prepare to debate on Thursday, about six in 10 American adults say they are already worn out by campaign coverage. —John Blake, CNN, 22 June 2024

Flip-flops, though convenient to slip on, offer no foot support and are not good shoes to wear out walking. —Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 17 June 2024

Maybe his arm wore out by throwing 120 pitches every fifth day as a teenager. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2024

The war has consumed millions of artillery shells and worn out a massive quantity of Russian equipment, from artillery barrels to tank engines. —Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

wear out

verb

1

: to tire gradually

worn out from exercising

2

: to make or become useless by wear