WEAR AWAY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does wear away mean? 

• WEAR AWAY (verb)
  The verb WEAR AWAY has 3 senses:

1. cut away in small pieces

2. diminish, as by friction

3. become ground down or deteriorate

  Familiarity information: WEAR AWAY used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WEAR AWAY (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cut away in small pieces

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

wear away; whittle away; whittle down

Hypernyms (to "wear away" is one way to...):

damage (inflict damage upon)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Diminish, as by friction

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

wear away; wear off

Context example:

Erosion wore away the surface

Hypernyms (to "wear away" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "wear away"):

abrade; abrase; corrade; rub down; rub off (wear away)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Become ground down or deteriorate

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

eat at; erode; gnaw; gnaw at; wear away

Context example:

Her confidence eroded

Hypernyms (to "wear away" is one way to...):

crumble; decay; dilapidate (fall into decay or ruin)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

wearing away ((geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it))

 Context examples 

The year will wear away at this rate, and nothing done.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)