What does wear and tear mean?
Definitions for wear and tear
tɛərwear and tear
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word wear and tear.
Princeton's WordNet
depreciation, wear and tearnoun
decrease in value of an asset due to obsolescence or use
Wiktionary
wear and tearnoun
damage or depreciation resulting from ordinary use
Wikipedia
Wear and tear
Wear and tear is damage that naturally and inevitably occurs as a result of normal wear or aging. It is used in a legal context for such areas as warranty contracts from manufacturers, which usually stipulate that damage from wear and tear will not be covered. Wear and tear is a form of depreciation which is assumed to occur even when an item is used competently and with care and proper maintenance. For example, repeated impacts may cause stress to a hammer's head. This stress is impossible to prevent in the normal use of the tool for its designed task, and any attempt to avert it impedes its functionality. At the same time, it is expected that the normal use of a hammer will not break it beyond repair during a reasonable life cycle. The phenomenon of wear and tear reflects the second law of thermodynamics, in which objects stray from their original form and function over time unless energy from an external force is used to maintain them. If restoration is impossible, an object is regarded as consumable. Parts that are designed to wear inside a machine—e.g., bearings and O-rings—are intended to be replaced with new ones; consumables like paper, cardboard, fabrics, and product packaging are designed with a service life commensurate with their intended use. For example, grocery stores may issue customers a paper or plastic sack to carry out groceries, but it is intended that the sack will have a short lifespan before wear and tear would cause it to fail. Durable goods (e.g., automobiles, heavy machinery, mainframe computers, musical instruments, handguns, water heaters, furnaces) are designed with wear parts that are maintained generally by replacement of parts. One way to determine if a good is durable or not is whether a service technician or repairman would typically attempt repairs on it. A specialist may need to be consulted, such as an auto mechanic, a computer technician, a luthier, a gunsmith, or a plumber. An automobile's engine may be repairable with a simple adjustment or replacement of a single and inexpensive broken part. Similarly, an electric water heater element that fails from years of wear and tear may be replaced rather than the entire water heater. Whereas an automobile needs consumable fuel and lubricants to operate, components such as tires, seats, and paint are subject to wear and tear and typically are not covered under any warranty when subjected to normal use.
ChatGPT
wear and tear
Wear and tear is the damage or deterioration that naturally occurs over time due to normal use, aging or exposure. It refers to the loss of value, functionality, or usability of any object or property, such as furniture, clothing, buildings, or machinery, due to normal wear, decay, or weathering.
Wikidata
Wear and tear
Wear and tear is damage that naturally and inevitably occurs as a result of normal wear or aging. It is used in a legal context for such areas as warranty contracts from manufacturers, which usually stipulate that damage due to wear and tear will not be covered. Wear and tear is a form of depreciation which is assumed to occur even when an item is used competently and with care and proper maintenance. For example, repeated impacts may cause stress to a hammer's head. In the normal use of a hammer for its designed task, this stress is impossible to prevent, and any attempt to eliminate it would make the hammer useless. At the same time, it is expected that the normal use of a hammer will not break it beyond repair until it has gone through a certain amount of use. The phenomenon of tear and wear is a good demonstration of the Second Law of Thermodynamics in action—roughly speaking, objects will get messier and more worn down over time, unless energy from the outside world is used to fix them. A company which supports a warranty on a product with the possibility of tear and wear will usually limit the warranty to a period of time where its tear and wear will probably not be enough to impede the use of the product significantly. Other factors such as the willingness of a customer to replace a product through warranty will affect how long the company offers it.
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
wear and tear
The decay and deterioration of the hull, spars, sails, ropes, and other stores of a ship in the course of a voyage.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
wear and tear
Said of military stores which have been worn out in service; as, the equipments were rendered useless by the wear and tear of service.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of wear and tear in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of wear and tear in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of wear and tear in a Sentence
Energy Aspects analyst Trevor Sikorksi:
The facility is showing signs of wear and tear and we have seen a decrease in the operational reliability of Rough over the last couple of years. It is hard to expect that it will get better.
I need to be able to afford to pay for poles, training shoes that don’t survive the wear and tear, coaching, strength training and transport to and from meets for competition.
It’s just one of those wear and tear situations that I think when you hit enough miles your body just starts to break up on you.
Depreciation for buildings that are not suffering wear and tear, that is a generous tax benefit, every developer gets that, but taking deductions on other people's money, that goes beyond what other real estate developers would do.
Failing to take care of ourselves actually compromises and hinders our effective caretaking of others, our nervous systems encounter more wear and tear. We get stressed out more easily.
References
Translations for wear and tear
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"wear and tear." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/wear+and+tear>.
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