wear thin

Frequency: 6.59.3 per million words

Describes fabric becoming thin from use, or figuratively, patience/jokes losing effect.

thinVERB + thin (of solid things)

Categories:

wear

Examples (10)

  • The fabric was wearing thin after years of constant use.
  • That joke is wearing a little thin; it's not funny anymore.
  • My patience is starting to wear thin with all these delays.
  • After hours of debate, everyone's good humor began to wear thin.
  • His excuses for being late are starting to wear thin; I don't believe him anymore.
  • The constant complaints from the neighbors are really wearing my nerves thin.
  • Her welcome at her relative's house had begun to wear thin after staying for weeks.
  • The old carpet in the hallway has worn thin in several high-traffic places.
  • Their arguments against the proposal are starting to wear thin due to lack of new evidence.
  • If you keep telling the same story, it will wear thin very quickly and lose its impact.