# tire

Pronunciation: US say "TYR" /ˈtaɪ̯ɚ/; UK say "TY-uh" /ˈtaɪ̯ə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. A ring-shaped protective covering fitted around a wheel, usually made of rubber or a plastic composite, and either filled with air or solid.
   - Simple: A thick ring, usually of rubber, around a wheel, either filled with air or solid.
   - _The mechanic patched the tire and bolted the wheel back onto the car._
   - _Forklifts often run on solid tires, while most cars use pneumatic ones._
6. The metal rim, or metal band over a rim, of a wooden or metal wheel, usually of steel and formerly of wrought iron, as found on carriages, wagons, and locomotives.
   - Simple: A band of metal around a wooden or metal wheel, as on wagons or trains.
   - _The wheelwright heated the iron tire before hammering it onto the wooden wheel._
   - _Inspectors found that the steel tires on the locomotive's driving wheels had worn thin._

## Verb

2. To become sleepy or in need of rest.
   - Simple: To start to feel sleepy or in need of rest.
   - _The marathon runners started to tire in the final miles._
   - _Her eyes tire after hours of reading small print._
3. To make someone or something feel sleepy or weary.
   - Simple: To make someone feel sleepy or in need of rest.
   - _The steep climb tired the whole group within an hour._
   - _Repetitive tasks tire workers faster than varied ones do._
4. To become bored or impatient, often with something.
   - Simple: To start to feel bored or impatient with something.
   - _Readers tire of stories that drag on for too long._
   - _She soon tired of the endless excuses._
5. To cause someone to feel bored.
   - Simple: To make someone feel bored.
   - _Endless paperwork tires even the most patient clerk._
   - _Repetitive drills tire new recruits long before lunch._

## Noun

7. Accoutrements; the accessories or equipment belonging to a person or activity. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The equipment and accessories that belong with something.
8. Dress, clothing, or attire. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Clothing, or the clothes a person wears.
   - _The bride's tire shimmered in the morning light._
   - _Servants laid out the lord's tire for the banquet._

## Verb

9. To dress or adorn someone or something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To dress or decorate someone or something.
10. To tear and worry at prey or food with the beak and talons, as a hawk or falcon does in feeding. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To grab and tear at prey, the way a hawk does.
   - _The trained hawk tired at the lure until the falconer called it back._
   - _Falcons tire on their kill before the keeper approaches._
11. To grip and tear at something as if it were prey; also, to be intent on or absorbed in something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To tear at something as if it were prey, or to keep being stuck on one thing.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A headdress or other article worn to cover the head.
- (noun) A row, rank, or line of arranged things; a tier.
- (noun) A child's apron covering the upper body, tied with tape or cord; a pinafore.

## Origin

**Meanings 2–5** — From Middle English tiren, from Old English tȳrian, tēorian ("to fail, become weary, be exhausted"), of uncertain origin. It possibly goes back to Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn ("to cease") and perhaps ultimately to a Proto-Indo-European root *dews- ("to fail, lag"), compared with Ancient Greek deúomai ("to lack") and Sanskrit dóṣa ("fault, deficiency").
**Meanings 1, 6–9** — Believed to come from Middle English tire ("equipment"), an aphetic (shortened) form of attire; compare also German zieren ("to decorate").
**Meanings 10–11** — From Middle English tire, from Old French tirer ("to draw or pull"), akin to English tear ("to rend").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tire (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).