To become damaged or too old to use, usually because of frequent use over time.
My running shoes wore out after a year of daily use.
A: Why did you buy new jeans? B: My old ones finally wore out.
If you use cheap headphones every day, they tend to wear out quickly and need replacing.
Common mistake
✗My shoes are wore out.
✓My shoes are worn out.
Past participle is 'worn out', not 'wore out'.
Tell it apart
My boots wore out.
became unusable
The boots wore me out.
exhausted me — sense
Use 'wear out' when talking about things like clothes, shoes, or equipment that stop working or looking good because you use them a lot.Not the same as 'wear', which means to have something on your body.
To make someone very tired, especially after a lot of activity or effort.
Looking after three young children all day really wears me out.
A: You look exhausted! B: Yeah, work has completely worn me out this week.
Many students say that preparing for exams can wear them out, especially if they don't take enough breaks.
Common mistake
✗The kids wear out me.
✓The kids wear me out.
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'wear me out'.
Tell it apart
The kids wore me out.
exhausted me
The carpet wore out.
became unusable — sense
Use 'wear out' when talking about people or animals who become very tired after doing something.Not about objects; this sense is only for people or animals.