wear and tear
/ˌwɛɹ‿ən ˈtɛ(ə)ɹ/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.25 in modern English
Meaning
noun
Physical damage caused to an object due to ordinary use over time; specifically (accounting, law), as justifying a write-down of the object's value in a set of accounts, or exclusion of compensation for the object under a warranty of quality.
Uncountable
noun
Physical damage caused to an object due to ordinary use over time; specifically (accounting, law), as justifying a write-down of the object's value in a set of accounts, or exclusion of compensation for the object under a warranty of quality.
Uncountable
noun
Physical damage caused to an object due to ordinary use over time; specifically (accounting, law), as justifying a write-down of the object's value in a set of accounts, or exclusion of compensation for the object under a warranty of quality.
Uncountable
noun
Damage or deterioration caused to something intangible due to harsh conditions, the passing of time, etc.; also, the process by which such damage or deterioration is caused.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The washing machine flooded the basement due to wear and tear, so Margaret was not eligible to claim compensation from the manufacturer."
- "But in the day-time, when the lattice=blinds (now closely shut) were opened, and the light let in, traces were discernible among this finery, of wear and tear and dust, of sun and damp and smoke, and lengthened intervals of want of use and habitation, when such shows and toys of life seem sensitive like life, and waste as men shut up in prison do."
- "The main obstacles to increasing traffic, in fact, are the heavy gradients and sharp curves on the approaches to the Gotthard Tunnel. Wear-and-tear of the track necessitates frequent attention by the civil engineers and possessions are hard to obtain without reducing the throughput of trains."
- "The structural integrity of the bridge has been compromised by constant wear and tear."
- "Firſt, in caſe God ſhall be pleaſed to deliuer the Iland and Caſtle of Ormuz, into the hands of the Perſian by our aide, the moitie of the ſpoile and purchaſe of both to remaine to the Engliſh, the other moitie to the Perſian. […] Fiftly, The Perſian to bee at halfe the ſhips charge for victuall, vvages, vveare and teare, and to furniſh them at his charge vvith ſufficient Povvder and Shot."
- "Upon tvvo hundred tons of goods, therefore, carried by the cheapeſt land-carriage from London to Edinburgh, there muſt be charged the maintenance of a hundred men for three vveeks, and both the maintenance, and, vvhat is nearly equal to the maintenance, the vvear and tear of four hundred horſes as vvell as of fifty great vvaggons. VVhereas upon the ſame quantity of goods carried by vvater, there is to be charged only the maintenance of ſix to eight men, and the vvear and tear of a ſhip of tvvo hundred tons burden, together vvith the ſuperior riſk or the difference of the inſurance betvveen land and vvater-carriage."
Etymology
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌwɛɹ‿ən ˈtɛ(ə)ɹ/
- British English: /ˌwɛəɹ‿ən ˈtɛə/