English Explanatory Dictionary

wear and tear

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Physical damage caused to an object due to ordinary use over time; specifically (accounting, law), as justifying a write-down of the object's value in a set of accounts, or exclusion of compensation for the object under a warranty of quality.
  2. The process by which such physical damage is caused.
  3. The cost payable for such physical damage.
  4. Damage or deterioration caused to something intangible due to harsh conditions, the passing of time, etc.; also, the process by which such damage or deterioration is caused.
  5. One's ability to endure harsh conditions; resilience, toughness.
verb
  1. To cause (something) physical damage due to ordinary use over time; to wear (down).
  2. To cause emotional damage to (someone's feelings, spirit, etc.).
  3. Of a thing: to be caused physical damage due to ordinary use over time.

Pronunciation

/ˌwɛəɹ‿ən ˈtɛə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-wear and tear.wav /ˌwɛɹ‿ən ˈtɛ(ə)ɹ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-wear and tear.wav

Word forms

wear and tear wears and tears wearing and tearing wore and tore worn and torn

Etymology

The noun is derived from wear (“damage caused by use over time”, noun) + and + tear (“damage caused by tearing”, noun). The verb is derived from wear (“to cause gradual deterioration in”, verb) + and + tear (“to rend by pulling apart”, verb), modelled on the noun.

Synonyms

tear and wear

Related words

tear and wear

Derived words

wear and tear pigment

Translations

Bulgarian: износване Chinese Mandarin: 磨損 /磨损 Danish: slitage Finnish: kuluminen French: usure f normale German: Abnutzung German: Verschleiß Ancient Greek: τριβή Hungarian: amortizáció Hungarian: elhasználódás Hungarian: elkopás Hungarian: kopás Icelandic: slit Italian: consumo Italian: logoramento Italian: usura Latin: intertrīmentum Latvian: laika zobs Norwegian Bokmål: slitasje Norwegian Nynorsk: slitasje Occitan: abenatge Occitan: usadura Occitan: usança Occitan: usura Persian: استهلاک Polish: zużycie Portuguese: desgaste Spanish: desgaste Swahili: uchakavu Telugu: అరుగుదల
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on W Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary