Wear (verb/noun): to have clothing, accessories, or cosmetics on your body; to display a particular expression on your face; to become damaged, thinner, or weaker through use over time; to last or endure in a particular condition; OR the damage caused by use, or clothing for a particular purpose.

This common word covers both putting things on your body and the gradual damage caused by use — two meanings that seem different but connect through the idea of something being in contact with something else over time.

MEANING 1: Have Clothing/Accessories on Body

The most familiar meaning is having clothes, jewellery, glasses, or cosmetics on your body. You wear a shirt, wear glasses, wear perfume, wear makeup. Unlike “put on” (the action of getting dressed), wear describes the ongoing state of having something on. “I’m wearing a blue jacket” means it’s currently on my body. This includes anything you carry on your person as part of your appearance.

MEANING 2: Display an Expression

You can wear an expression on your face — a smile, a frown, a look of confusion. “She wore a worried expression” means concern was visible on her face. This figurative use extends the idea of displaying something for others to see, just like clothes.

MEANING 3: Become Damaged Through Use — VERY COMMON

This meaning describes how things deteriorate through repeated use or friction. Carpets wear thin in busy areas. Shoes wear out from walking. Tyres wear down from driving. Patience wears thin after repeated frustrations. The key image is gradual damage or reduction caused by continuous contact or use. This connects to the clothing meaning — clothes that are worn (used) eventually become worn (damaged).

MEANING 4: Last or Endure

Wear can describe how well something lasts. “This fabric wears well” means it stays in good condition despite use. “The joke wore thin” means it stopped being funny after repetition. Something that “wears badly” deteriorates quickly; something that “wears well” lasts a long time.

MEANING 5: Damage or Clothing Type (Noun)

As a noun, wear describes either damage from use (“signs of wear”) or clothing for specific purposes (sportswear, footwear, evening wear, children’s wear). “Wear and tear” is a famous phrase describing normal damage from everyday use.

MEANING 6: Create Through Friction or Continuous Use

Wear can also mean to create a hole, groove, path, or channel through repeated friction or continuous use. This is the productive side of wear’s damage meaning — instead of just deteriorating, the wearing action actually makes something new. You wear holes in your socks from walking. Footsteps wear a path through grass. Water wears grooves in rock over centuries. Worry can wear lines into someone’s face.

Examples from the street:

• “What are you wearing to the party?” → what clothes will you have on at the celebration?
• “These shoes are starting to wear out” → this footwear is becoming damaged from use
• “My patience is wearing thin” → my tolerance is decreasing; I’m losing patience

2. Most Common Patterns

Wear as clothing/accessories:

• wear + clothing item → have on your body (wear a dress, wear jeans)
• wear + accessories → have on your person (wear glasses, wear jewellery, wear a watch)
• wear + cosmetics/fragrance → have applied (wear makeup, wear perfume)
• wear + colour → be dressed in (wear black, wear bright colours)

Wear as expression:

• wear + expression/look/smile → display on your face

Wear as damage/deterioration:

• wear out → become completely damaged or exhausted from use
• wear down → gradually reduce or erode
• wear thin → become weak, reduced, or less tolerable
• wear away → erode gradually over time

Wear as creating through friction:

• wear + hole(s) in → create gaps through repeated use
• wear + path/groove/channel → create a track through continuous movement
• wear + lines/marks into → create visible signs through repeated action

Wear as noun:

• wear and tear → normal damage from everyday use
• signs of wear → visible evidence of damage from use
• sportswear/footwear/evening wear → clothing categories

3. Phrasal Verbs

• wear out → become damaged beyond use; or exhaust someone completely
  Example: “The children wore me out — I need a nap!”
• wear down → gradually weaken resistance or reduce something through friction
  Example: “She finally wore down her parents’ resistance and they let her go to the concert.”
• wear off → gradually disappear or lose effect
  Example: “The anaesthetic is starting to wear off — I can feel my tooth again.”
• wear away → erode or disappear gradually through friction
  Example: “The stone steps have worn away after centuries of use.”
• wear on → (of time) pass slowly and tediously
  Example: “As the evening wore on, the guests became increasingly tired.”
• wear thin → become weak, less patient, or less believable
  Example: “His excuses are wearing thin — nobody believes him anymore.”

4. Example Sentences

1. You should wear something warm — it’s freezing outside
   → You should put on clothing that provides heat — the temperature is extremely low.
2. She always wears a smile, even when things are difficult
   → She consistently displays a cheerful expression, even during challenging times.
3. These tyres are starting to wear — we should replace them soon
   → These rubber wheels are beginning to deteriorate — we should get new ones shortly.
4. My patience is wearing thin with all these delays
   → My tolerance is decreasing due to all these postponements.
5. The excitement of the new job is starting to wear off
   → The enthusiasm about the fresh position is beginning to fade.
6. Looking after three children all day really wears you out
   → Caring for three youngsters throughout the day truly exhausts you completely.
7. The carpet shows obvious signs of wear near the entrance
   → The floor covering displays clear evidence of damage close to the doorway.
8. She eventually wore down his resistance and he agreed to help
   → She gradually weakened his opposition until he consented to assist.
9. Does the company have a dress code, or can I wear casual clothes?
   → Does the business have clothing requirements, or can I dress informally?
10. The contract covers normal wear and tear but not accidental damage
    → The agreement includes ordinary deterioration from use but excludes unintentional harm.
11. I’ve worn holes in all my socks — I need to buy new ones
    → I’ve created gaps through friction in all my foot coverings — I must purchase replacements.
12. Over the years, visitors have worn a path through the meadow to the lake
    → Across time, guests have created a track through the grassland to the water by walking repeatedly.

5. Personal Examples

1. Enthusiasm for language learning can wear off after a few weeks if students don’t see progress — that’s why celebrating small wins is so important
   → Excitement about acquiring a new tongue can fade after several weeks without visible advancement — that’s why acknowledging minor achievements matters greatly.
2. Teaching all day can really wear you out, but seeing students finally understand something makes the exhaustion worthwhile
   → Instructing throughout the day can truly exhaust you completely, but watching learners eventually grasp something makes the tiredness valuable.

6. Register: Neutral

✔ Native usage tips

• “Wear” vs “put on” — this is a common confusion for learners. “Put on” is the action of dressing; “wear” is the state of having something on. “I put on my coat” (action) vs “I’m wearing my coat” (current state)
• “Wear out” has two meanings — things wear out (become damaged), and activities wear you out (exhaust you). Both are extremely common
• “Wearing thin” is a powerful expression for decreasing patience, tolerance, or believability — “My patience is wearing thin” or “That excuse is wearing thin”
• “Wear and tear” is a fixed phrase for normal damage from use — essential vocabulary for contracts, rentals, and insurance
• “Wear off” is commonly used for effects that fade — medicine wearing off, excitement wearing off, novelty wearing off
• “Wear well” can describe people aging attractively — “She’s sixty but she wears her age well” means she looks good for her age
• Clothing categories use “wear” as a suffix — sportswear, swimwear, footwear, menswear, childrenswear

✔ Similar expressions / words

• Put on → the action of dressing; wear is the state of having something on
• Deteriorate → formal equivalent of wear (damage meaning); wear is more everyday
• Erode → similar to wear away; often used for rock, soil, or abstract things like trust