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Prepositions after verbs

Wear in or wear on?

Wear in and wear on have different meanings. Wear by is not a standard verb-preposition pattern in current English.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct with wear?

Use wear in when something becomes comfortable through use, and wear on when time passes slowly or continues. Wear by is generally not used as a verb-preposition combination.

These shoes will wear in after a few days.
The evening wore on until midnight.
As the meeting wore on, people became tired.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
wear in + clothing

Making clothes or shoes comfortable through use

Wear in means to soften or loosen clothing, especially shoes, by using them.

I need to wear in these boots.
The jacket quickly wore in after a week.
2
wear on

Time continuing, often unpleasantly

Wear on describes time passing gradually, often when something feels long or tiring.

The lecture wore on for hours.
As winter wore on, fuel costs increased.
3
wear + item

Having clothing or accessories on your body

Wear is often used without a following preposition before the clothing item.

She wears a blue coat.
He wore glasses at the meeting.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
wear in
You should wear in the shoes before the trip.
make clothing or shoes comfortable through use
wear on
The discussion wore on all afternoon.
continue for a long time
wear by
Not standard in this meaning.
generally not used as a verb-preposition combination with wear

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using wear by as a fixed pattern

Wear by is not a standard combination for clothing or time.

✕ The meeting wore by slowly. ✓ The meeting wore on slowly.

Confusing wear in and wear on

Wear in relates to clothing becoming comfortable, not time passing.

✕ The afternoon wore in. ✓ The afternoon wore on.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. These boots should ___ after a few walks.
2. As the interview ___, the candidates became nervous.
3. Which construction is generally nonstandard?

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Frequently asked questions

Can wear on describe time?

Yes. Wear on is commonly used for time or events that continue gradually.

What does wear in mean for shoes?

It means the shoes become softer and more comfortable after use.

Is wear by correct English?

Not usually as a fixed verb-preposition pattern with wear.

wade, through, wade, into wait for, in, on, at or till? wake up, from, in, at or by? walk into, in, to, through or on? wander through, around, into, in or from? "want for", "want from" or "want in"? "warn of" or "warn against"? "wash with", "wash in" or "wash over"? "waste on" or "waste in"? watch for, in, on, from or with? "wave at" or "wave to"? "weaken by", "weaken to" or "weaken of"?

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