Wear Definition

wâr

wearing, wears, wore, worn

verb

wearing, wears, wore, worn

To have on the body or carry on the person (clothing, jewelry, a weapon, etc.)

Webster's New World

To become impaired, consumed, or diminished by constant use, friction, etc.

Shoes that have begun to wear.

Webster's New World

To hold the position or rank symbolized by.

To wear the heavyweight crown.

Webster's New World

To become in time; grow gradually.

Patience that is wearing thin.

Webster's New World

To dress in (a specified kind of attire) so as to be in style.

What college students are wearing this fall.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

wears

The act of wearing or the state of being worn.

Webster's New World

Things, esp. clothes, worn, or for wearing, on the body [children's wear]

Webster's New World

Clothing, especially of a particular kind or for a particular use. Often used in combination.

Rainwear; footwear.

American Heritage

The fashion or proper style of dress or the like.

Webster's New World

Damage resulting from use or age.

The rug shows plenty of wear.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

suffix

Used to form nouns denoting clothing worn by a particular sex (e.g. menswear) or age of person (e.g. kidswear)

Wiktionary

idiom

wear the pants

To exercise controlling authority in a household.

American Heritage

wear thin

To be weakened or eroded gradually:
Her patience is wearing thin.
To become less convincing, acceptable, or popular, as through repeated use:
excuses that are wearing thin.

American Heritage

wear down

to make or become worn; lose or cause to lose thickness or height by use, friction, etc.
to tire out, or exhaust (a person); weary

Webster's New World

wear off

to pass away or diminish by degrees

Webster's New World

wear out

to make or become useless from continued wear or use
to waste or consume by degrees

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Wear

Noun

Singular:

wear

Plural:

wears

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Wear

Origin of Wear

From Middle English weren, werien, from Old English werian (“to guard, keep, defend; ward off, hinder, prevent, forbid; restrain; occupy, inhabit; dam up; discharge obligations on (land)"), from Proto-Germanic *warjanÄ… (“to defend, protect, ward off"), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to close, cover, protect, save, defend"). Cognate with Scots wer, weir (“to defend, protect"), Dutch weren (“to aver, ward off"), German wehren (“to fight"), Swedish värja (“to defend, ward off"), Icelandic verja (“to defend").

From Wiktionary
From Middle English weren, werien, from Old English werian (“to clothe, cover over; put on, wear, use; stock (land)"), from Proto-Germanic *wazjanÄ… (“to clothe"), from Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“to dress, put on (clothes)"). Cognate to Sanskrit वस्ते (vaste), Ancient Greek ἕννυμι (hennumi, “put on"), Latin vestis (“garment"), Albanian vesh (“dress up, wear"), Tocharian B wäs-, Old Armenian Õ¦Õ£Õ¥Õ¶Õ¸Ö‚Õ´ (zgenum), Welsh gwisgo, Hittite waÅ¡-.

From Wiktionary
Middle English weren from Old English werian wes-² in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition