wear (away)

verb

Definition of wear (away)next
as in to wash out

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wear (away)
  1. wash out
  2. undermine
  3. erode
Verb
  • People walk on a road Friday washed out by the floods in Nuwakot, Nepal.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But poor market breadth could also mean the stock market is becoming washed out, paving the way for a rally heading into the end of the year — especially if earnings come in stronger than expected.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of wash out
Verb
  • Fox News Digital asked Martin whether that level of support undermined Ireland's neutrality.
    — Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Brazil’s attorney general last week accused the US of undermining Brazilian democracy — a central theme for incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who holds a razor-thin polling lead over Flávio Bolsonaro.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of undermine
Verb
  • Infrastructure built over generations erodes when demand isn’t there to support it.
    — Catherine Salfino, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Today, Putin follows essentially the same model, seeking to erode allies’ confidence in NATO’s Article 5 by relying on tactics that fall below the threshold of a conventional warfare and leave unaffected members hesitant to respond.
    — Julianne Smith, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of erode
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.

Browse Nearby Words

wear and tear
wear (away)
wear down
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wear (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wear%20%28away%29. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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