tired of + noun/gerund
Bored, annoyed, or no longer interested
This is the most common meaning of tired with a preposition.
We're tired of the same excuses.
Tired with different prepositions
Different prepositions after tired express different meanings, including boredom, physical exhaustion, irritation, or the cause of fatigue.
Quick answer
Which preposition follows tired?
Use tired of for boredom or annoyance, tired from for the cause of physical fatigue, tired after for fatigue following an activity, tired at before a time, and tired by for the agent causing exhaustion.
I'm tired of waiting.
She was tired from the long journey.
He felt tired after the match.
I get tired at around ten o'clock.
She was tired from the long journey.
He felt tired after the match.
I get tired at around ten o'clock.
Choose the pattern by meaning
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
tired from + cause
Physically exhausted because of something
Use from for the reason for fatigue.
She was tired from travelling all night.
tired after + activity
Exhausted following an event
After focuses on what happened before the tiredness.
He slept early because he was tired after training.
tired at + time
Describing when tiredness happens
At introduces a time expression, not the cause of tiredness.
I usually feel tired at the end of the week.
tired by + agent
Showing what causes exhaustion
By can introduce the thing or person producing the effect.
She felt tired by the constant noise.
See the difference in context
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Construction
Example
Meaning
tired of
I'm tired of his complaints.
annoyed or bored
tired from
They were tired from work.
physically exhausted because of something
tired after
She felt tired after the exam.
exhausted following an activity
tired at
He gets tired at night.
describing the time of tiredness
tired by
We were tired by the delays.
affected or exhausted by a cause
Common mistakes
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Using tired of for physical exhaustion
Tired of usually means bored or annoyed, not physically exhausted.
✕ She was tired of running all day. ✓ She was tired from running all day.Confusing tired at with tired of
At refers to time, while of refers to annoyance or boredom.
✕ I'm tired at this music. ✓ I'm tired of this music.Quick practice
Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
1. After weeks of meetings, they were ___ the discussion.
2. She was sore and ___ the hike.
3. I usually feel ___ about 11 p.m.
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Frequently asked questions
Is tired from or tired of more common for exhaustion?
Tired from is the clearer choice for physical exhaustion caused by an activity.
Can tired after and tired from both be used?
Yes. Tired after focuses on timing, while tired from focuses on cause.
Is tired by natural English?
Yes, although it is less common. It highlights the thing causing exhaustion or strain.
Related preposition guides
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