Skip to the meanings
Slova
Start learning
Menu

Wear out meaning

Wear out means to use something so much that it becomes thin or no longer works. It can also mean to make someone very tired.

Check yourself: 3 questions

wear something out

wear out · wore · worn · wearing

B2Separable+1 more meaning

I wore out two pairs of shoes on the trip.

Wear out meanings and examples

2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries and the Cambridge Dictionary.

  1. 1use something so much that it becomes thin or no longer works
  2. 2make someone very tired
  1. 1

    Use something so much that it becomes thin or no longer works

    wear something out

    B2Separable

    • I wore out two pairs of shoes on the trip.
    • The brakes have worn out. They need changing.
    • Kids wear their jeans out so fast.
  2. 2

    Make someone very tired

    wear somebody out

    C2Separable

    • The long drive wore me out.
    • Don’t wear yourself out. Take a break.
    • Playing with the puppy wears out the kids.
Slova

Use wear out in real conversations

  • Learn new words with picture cards
  • Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
  • Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Free to join · 50% off at launchStart learning with Slova

Is wear out separable?

Wear out is separable: wear out your shoes, wear your shoes out. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: wear them out, wear me out. It can also stand alone: The tyres wore out.

The adjective is worn-out before a noun and worn out after a verb: worn-out shoes, I’m worn out.

Verb tenses for wear out

PresentI wear out · she wears out
Pastwore out
Present perfecthave worn out
-ing formwearing out

Common mistakes with wear out

What learners often say, and what to say instead.

  • Wrong: The kids wore out me today.

    Right: The kids wore me out today.

    A pronoun goes between wear and out.

  • Wrong: I’m so weared out after work.

    Right: I’m so worn out after work.

    The past participle of wear is worn.

  • Wrong: The painkiller is wearing out.

    Right: The painkiller is wearing off.

    For a feeling or effect that slowly stops, use wear off.

Synonyms and opposites of wear out

Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.

Similar

Opposite

  • laststay in good condition for a long time
  • rechargeget your energy back

Wear out quiz

Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.

  1. 1I walk a lot, so I ___ my shoes every year.

  2. 2Choose the right sentence.

  3. 3“Looking after twins really wears me out.” How does the speaker feel?

More phrasal verbs with wear

2 phrasal verbs start with wear. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.

Test yourself on wearTake the full test

Wear out FAQ

Questions people ask about wear out.

What does worn-out mean?

For things it means old and damaged from use: worn-out boots. For people it means very tired: I’m worn out.

Wear out vs wear off: what is the difference?

Wear out is about things breaking or people getting tired. Wear off is about a feeling or effect slowly going away: The coffee wore off.

What is the past tense of wear out?

Wore out, and the participle is worn out. My shoes have worn out.

Use wear out in real conversations

In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.

Start learning English
All free tools