WEAR AND TEAR Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

wear and tear

or wear-and-tear

[ tair ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

damage or deterioration resulting from ordinary use; normal depreciation.

wear and tear

noun

damage, depreciation, or loss resulting from ordinary use

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of wear and tear¹

First recorded in 1660–70

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Idioms and Phrases

Damage and deterioration resulting from ordinary use and exposure, as in This sofa shows a lot of wear and tear; we should replace it . [Second half of 1600s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It didn’t matter that they are starting to feel some wear and tear from a long NBA season that’s winding down.

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Analysis of the male skeleton showed that despite his young age, his bones had signs of wear and tear, suggesting he was of lower status, possibly even a slave.

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The most common 10-shekel coin is particularly susceptible to rust and wear and tear, and vendors have become suspicious as rumors abound that many of those available in Gaza are forgeries.

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Turbulence can cause injuries in passengers and airline employees, along with wear and tear on airplanes, the study notes.

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And it's not just the microplastics that result from tire wear and tear when in use.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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