To wear off

To wear off
Wear Wear, v. t. [imp. {Wore} (w[=o]r); p. p. {Worn} (w[=o]rn); p. pr. & vb. n. {Wearing}. Before the 15th century wear was a weak verb, the imp. & p. p. being {Weared}.] [OE. weren, werien, AS. werian to carry, to wear, as arms or clothes; akin to OHG. werien, weren, to clothe, Goth. wasjan, L. vestis clothing, vestire to clothe, Gr. "enny`nai, Skr. vas. Cf. {Vest}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To carry or bear upon the person; to bear upon one's self, as an article of clothing, decoration, warfare, bondage, etc.; to have appendant to one's body; to have on; as, to wear a coat; to wear a shackle. [1913 Webster]

What compass will you wear your farthingale? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore, Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

2. To have or exhibit an appearance of, as an aspect or manner; to bear; as, she wears a smile on her countenance. ``He wears the rose of youth upon him.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

His innocent gestures wear A meaning half divine. --Keble. [1913 Webster]

3. To use up by carrying or having upon one's self; hence, to consume by use; to waste; to use up; as, to wear clothes rapidly. [1913 Webster]

4. To impair, waste, or diminish, by continual attrition, scraping, percussion, on the like; to consume gradually; to cause to lower or disappear; to spend. [1913 Webster]

That wicked wight his days doth wear. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

The waters wear the stones. --Job xiv. 19. [1913 Webster]

5. To cause or make by friction or wasting; as, to wear a channel; to wear a hole. [1913 Webster]

6. To form or shape by, or as by, attrition. [1913 Webster]

Trials wear us into a liking of what, possibly, in the first essay, displeased us. --Locke. [1913 Webster]

{To wear away}, to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay.

{To wear off}, to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth.

{To wear on} or {To wear upon}, to wear. [Obs.] ``[I] weared upon my gay scarlet gites [gowns.]'' --Chaucer.

{To wear out}. (a) To consume, or render useless, by attrition or decay; as, to wear out a coat or a book. (b) To consume tediously. ``To wear out miserable days.'' --Milton. (c) To harass; to tire. ``[He] shall wear out the saints of the Most High.'' --Dan vii. 25. (d) To waste the strength of; as, an old man worn out in military service.

{To wear the breeches}. See under {Breeches}. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • wear\ off — • wear down • wear off • wear away v 1. To remove or disappear little by little through use, time, or the action of weather. Time and weather have worn off the name on the gravestone. The eraser has worn off my pencil. The grass has worn away… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • wear off — • wear off • wear away remove or disappear little by little by use, time or weather The name on the front of my passport has worn off from using it too much …   Idioms and examples

  • wear off — verb 1. deteriorate through use or stress (Freq. 1) The constant friction wore out the cloth • Syn: ↑wear, ↑wear out, ↑wear down, ↑wear thin • Derivationally related forms: ↑wear …   Useful english dictionary

  • wear off — phrasal verb [intransitive] Word forms wear off : present tense I/you/we/they wear off he/she/it wears off present participle wearing off past tense wore off past participle worn off 1) if something such as a pain, an emotion, or a feeling wears… …   English dictionary

  • wear off — verb a) to diminish in effect The effect of the injection will gradually wear off. b) to disappear because of being abraded, over polished, or abused The silver plating on that cheap silverware will wear off …   Wiktionary

  • wear off — phr verb Wear off is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑anaesthetic, ↑effect, ↑enthusiasm, ↑excitement, ↑novelty …   Collocations dictionary

  • wear off — not have as much effect, not affect as much    The effects of the drug began to wear off, and the pain returned …   English idioms

  • To wear off — Wear Wear, v. i. 1. To endure or suffer use; to last under employment; to bear the consequences of use, as waste, consumption, or attrition; as, a coat wears well or ill; hence, sometimes applied to character, qualifications, etc.; as, a man… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wear off — Synonyms and related words: ablate, abrade, be all over, be no more, become extinct, become void, blow over, die, die away, erode, expire, fray, frazzle, fret, go out, have it, have its time, lapse, pass, pass away, rub off, run its course, run… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • wear off — PHRASAL VERB If a sensation or feeling wears off, it disappears slowly until it no longer exists or has any effect. [V P] For many the philosophy was merely a fashion, and the novelty soon wore off... [V P] Now that the initial shock was wearing… …   English dictionary

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