wear and tear

or wear-and-tear

[ tair ]

noun

1. damage or deterioration resulting from ordinary use; normal depreciation.

wear and tear

noun

1. damage, depreciation, or loss resulting from ordinary use

Word History and Origins

Origin of wear and tear¹

First recorded in 1660–70

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]

Example Sentences

It enables nature to recruit its strength; whereas worry and discontent debilitate it, involving constant wear-and-tear.

From Project Gutenberg

Quiriquina, than the ordinary wear-and-tear of the sea and weather during the course of a whole century.

From Project Gutenberg

Even the London scenery is faithfully reproduced in material of extra strength, to stand the wear-and-tear of constant removal.

From Project Gutenberg

The wear-and-tear of rust is even faster than the tear-and-wear of work.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• depletion
• depreciation
• erosion