Wear thin Meaning in English
expression
ˈwɛɹ/ /ˈθɪn
WAIR-thin
wɛə/ /θˈɪn
WAIR-thin
Definition
To become thin or less strong, often used figuratively to describe patience or excuses becoming weak or running out.
Usage & Nuances
Most common in informal spoken and written English. Often paired as 'patience is wearing thin' or 'excuses are wearing thin.' Not used for physical objects in modern English—used figuratively to mean tolerance or explanations are almost gone.
Spanish: desgastarse - perder la pacienciaPortuguese (BR): desgastar - ficar impacientePortuguese (PT): desgastar - perder a paciênciaChinese (Simplified): 变薄 - 失去耐心Chinese (Traditional): 變薄 - 失去耐心Hindi: पतला होना - धैर्य कम होनाArabic: يَتآكل - ينفد الصبرBengali: সহ্যশক্তি ফুরানো - ধৈর্য্য কমে আসাRussian: терпение на исходе - оправдания больше не действуютJapanese: 我慢の限界に近づく - 言い訳が通用しなくなるVietnamese: dần mất kiên nhẫn - lời bào chữa ngày càng thiếu thuyết phụcKorean: 인내심이 바닥나다 - 변명이 통하지 않다Turkish: sabır tükenmek üzere - bahaneler inandırıcılığını yitirmekUrdu: صبر کا دامن چھوٹنا - بہانے بے اثر ہوناIndonesian: kesabaran mulai habis - alasan mulai tidak lagi diterima
Example Sentences
My patience is starting to wear thin.
basic
Their excuses are starting to wear thin.
basic
The teacher’s patience began to wear thin after so many interruptions.
basic
If you keep making the same mistake, my patience will really wear thin.
natural
Sorry, but my sympathy is starting to wear thin.
natural
Their promises are starting to wear thin; nobody believes them anymore.
natural