wear
/wâr/
intransitive verb
- To carry or have on one's person as covering, adornment, or protection. wearing a jacket; must wear a seat belt.
- To carry or have habitually on one's person, especially as an aid. wears glasses.
- To display in one's appearance. always wears a smile.
Wiktionary
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wear - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
To have or carry on one's person habitually, consistently; or, to maintain in a particular fashion or manner. He wears eyeglasses.
Cambridge Dictionary
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WEAR | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
October 29, 2025 - WEAR meaning: 1. to have clothing, jewellery, etc. on your body: 2. to show a particular emotion on your face…. Learn more.
Longman
ldoceonline.com › dictionary › wear
wear | meaning of wear in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
He wore glasses for reading.wear a seat belt (=have it around yourself)wear black/white/red etc Usually I wear black, grey, or brown.wear something to a party/a dance/an interview etc I’m wearing a scarlet dress to the party.► see thesaurus at dressRegisterIn everyday English, people often say that someone has something on rather than is wearing something:She had on a black silk dress.
Videos
Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › thesaurus › wear
WEAR Synonyms: 219 Similar and Opposite Words | Merriam-Webster Thesaurus
November 10, 2025 - Synonyms for WEAR: erode, fray, rub, reduce, eat, shave, chafe, bite; Antonyms of WEAR: activate, strengthen, energize, rest, relax, rejuvenate, unwind, invigorate
Etymonline
etymonline.com › word › wear
Wear - Etymology, Origin & Meaning
"be clad or dressed in; carry or bear on the body for warmth, decency, ornament, etc.,"… See origin and meaning of wear.
Merriam-Webster
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WEAR Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
4 days ago - The meaning of WEAR is to bear or have on the person. How to use wear in a sentence.
Reverso
dictionary.reverso.net › english-definition › wear
WEAR - Definition & Meaning - Reverso English Dictionary
wear definition: use or have on the body as clothing or adornment. Check meanings, examples, usage tips, pronunciation, domains, and related words. Discover expressions like "wear down", "wear out", "wear through".
Vocabulary.com
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Wear - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
To wear means to clothe, or be covered by. You wear suits to interviews and sweats to the gym.
Reddit
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r/EnglishLearning on Reddit: Meaning of "wear" in the sentence
February 29, 2024 -
What I get from the sentence is "he didn't occupy the office but instead he wear it" as to wear glasses, to emphasize he barely fits in it. Is it correct? And if so can you explain the grammar rule because I don't understand how "as wear it" works in this sentence.
Top answer 1 of 5
38
that his office is rather small for him so it’s a tight fit like how clothes fit tightly to a person. It also kinda implies that his office is very much his space and a reflection of his personality. Like he very familiar with his office. Wouldn’t be surprised if he slept off some nights of drinking in there.
2 of 5
26
It's a joke. The image is that he's so large, and his office so small, that he fits inside it as if it were an article of clothing.
Oxford English Dictionary
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wear, v.¹ meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English Dictionary
wear has developed meanings and uses in subjects including · costume (Old English) animals (Old English) heraldry (Old English) weaponry (Old English) agriculture (early 1500s) nautical (mid 1500s) perfumery (late 1500s) military (1920s)
Dictionary.com
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WEAR Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
October 23, 2025 - WEAR definition: to carry or have on the body or about the person as a covering, equipment, ornament, or the like. See examples of wear used in a sentence.
Top answer 1 of 2
4
If you wear something lightly, then you don't show it off. For example,
- You don't become president without clawing your way into the Oval Office, but voters prefer pols like JFK, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama who wear their ambition lightly. (source) (they don't draw attention to their ambition)
- I don’t always wear my knowledge lightly. I like learning, and I like passing on that knowledge. (source) (I don't always keep quiet about what I know, I like to share it)
So, "Professor Furia wears his learning lightly" means he doesn't flaunt it, he doesn't look like a know-it-all. Rather, "he deploys it to great effect", which means he takes advantage of his strength.
2 of 2
3
This sounds metaphorical to me. I read it as if it's treating 'learning' like it were 'clothes'. Something you figuratively wear.
Like heart in the idiomatic phrase to wear your heart on your sleeve.
WordReference
wordreference.com › english dictionary › wear
wear - WordReference.com Dictionary of English
wear - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. All Free.
Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › us › english-language-learning › wear
WEAR - Definition & Translations | Collins English Dictionary
Click here to learn more. Love grammar? You can access the full Collins Easy Learning English Grammar here. ... Wear is a process in which material is gradually removed from one or more surfaces that are in contact.
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
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wear verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
[transitive] (usually used in questions and negative sentences) wear something (British English, informal) to accept or allow something, especially something that you do not approve of
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries
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wear noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
The cushions were beginning to show wear. ... Word OriginOld English werian, of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin vestis ‘clothing’.
YourDictionary
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Wear Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary
Wear definition: To carry or have on one's person as covering, adornment, or protection.