wear thin

phrase

1
: to become weak or ready to give way
my patience was wearing thin
2
: to become trite, unconvincing, or out-of-date
an argument that quickly wore thin

Examples of wear thin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Eventually, as lesser talents copied the techniques without the wit, the novelty wore thin, giving modernist cuisine a bad name. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 Eventually, some owners’ patience wears thin, prompting drastic changes before the midway point of the season. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 People’s expectations were going to rise, and their patience was going to wear thin if those expectations weren’t met. — Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026 Angel City’s sporting director Mark Parsons is taking a methodical approach to hiring a coach at a time when patience among fans and players is wearing thin. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wear thin

Rhymes for wear thin

See All Rhymes for wear thin

Browse Nearby Words

wear the trousers
wear thin
wear through
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wear thin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wear%20thin. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All