wear and tear

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   Physical damage caused to an object due to ordinary use over time

   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.

   • The washing machine flooded the basement due to wear and tear, so Margaret was not eligible to claim compensation from the manufacturer.
2. 2

   Damage or deterioration caused to something intangible due to harsh conditions, the…

   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.

   • It vvas th' Inchantment of her Riches, / That made m' apply t' your Croney VVitches, / That in return, vvould pay th' expence, / The VVear-and-tear of Conſcience.
   • Nay, I doubt whether his [Percy Bysshe Shelley's] delightful Essays and Letters, which deserve to be far more read than they are now, will not resist the wear and tear of time better, and finally come to stand higher, than his poetry.
3. 3

   One's ability to endure harsh conditions

   One's ability to endure harsh conditions; resilience, toughness.

   • Mr. Thomas Bewick the celebrated wood-engraver, died on Saturday last, at the age of 74; though at so advanced an age, he seemed, from his being strongly built, to have many years' wear and tear in him.
4. ›+ 3 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To cause (something) physical damage due to ordinary use over time

      To cause (something) physical damage due to ordinary use over time; to wear (down).

   2. 5

      To cause emotional damage to (someone's feelings, spirit, etc.).

      • Murmuring vexes the heart, it vvears and tears the heart, it inrages and inflames the heart, it vvounds and ſtabs the heart; […]
   3. 6

      Of a thing

      Of a thing: to be caused physical damage due to ordinary use over time.

      • The wives toiled over the rough work clothing: long john underwear, heavy socks, rubber boots, thick flannel shirts, oilskins—it all wore and tore and sprung holes from the hard use of battling storm and bad weather.
      • A body moving with misalignment is like trying to put a square peg through movement's circle hole. The pieces do not fit nor work well together; jamming, wearing and tearing each time you move from daily tasks to fitness and sport.

The neighborhood

• neighbortear and wear