To wear off

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 wears well as an acquaintance. [1913 Webster]

2. To be wasted, consumed, or diminished, by being used; to suffer injury, loss, or extinction by use or time; to decay, or be spent, gradually. ``Thus wore out night.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Away, I say; time wears. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people that is with thee. --Ex. xviii. 18. [1913 Webster]

His stock of money began to wear very low. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]

The family . . . wore out in the earlier part of the century. --Beaconsfield. [1913 Webster]

{To wear off}, to pass away by degrees; as, the follies of youth wear off with age.

{To wear on}, to pass on; as, time wears on. --G. Eliot.

{To wear weary}, to become weary, as by wear, long occupation, tedious employment, etc. [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. 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… …   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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