tire

UK: /ˈtaɪə^r/ US: /taɪr/ ,(tī^ər)

Inflections of 'tire' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

tires

v 3rd person singular

tiring

v pres p

tired

v past

tired

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

tire¹ /taɪr/   v., tired, tir•ing. 

1. to make or become weary or fatigued: [~ + object]
   The exercise tired him momentarily.
   [no object]
   As he grew older he tired easily.
2. to have one's interest or patience exhausted:
   [~ + of + object] The children tired of playing games.
3. tire out, [~ + object + out] to make (someone) completely weary:
   The exercise tired him out.

tire² /taɪr/  n. [countable]

1. Automotive, British Terms a ring of rubber, placed over the rim of a wheel on cars, trucks, etc., to provide traction or resistance to wear.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

tire¹ (tī^ər),  v., tired, tir•ing, n. 

v.t. 

1. to reduce or exhaust the strength of, as by exertion;
   make weary;
   fatigue:
   The long walk tired him.
2. to exhaust the interest, patience, etc., of;
   make weary;
   bore:
   Your stories tire me.

v.i. 

3. to have the strength reduced or exhausted, as by labor or exertion;
   become fatigued;
   be sleepy.
4. to have one's appreciation, interest, patience, etc., exhausted;
   become or be weary;
   become bored (usually fol. by of ):
   He soon tired of playing billiards.

n. 

5. British Terms fatigue.

• late Middle English (Scots) tyren (verb, verbal), Old English tȳrian, variant of tēorian to weary, be wearied bef. 900

Synonyms

• 2. exasperate, irk.

tire² (tī^ər),  n., v., tired, tir•ing. 

n. 

1. Automotive, British Terms a ring or band of rubber, either solid or hollow and inflated, or of metal, placed over the rim of a wheel to provide traction, resistance to wear, or other desirable properties.
2. British Terms, Automotive a metal band attached to the outside of the felloes and forming the tread of a wagon wheel.

v.t. 

3. British Terms, Automotive to furnish with tires.

Also, tyre. 

• special use of tire³ 1475–85

tire³ (tī^ər),  v., tired, tir•ing, n. 

v.t. 

1. [Archaic.] to dress (the head or hair), esp. with a headdress.
2. [Obs.] to attire or array.

n. 

3. [Archaic.] a headdress.
4. [Obs.] attire or dress.

• 1300–50; Middle English; aphetic variant of attire

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tire / ˈtaɪə/ verb

1. (transitive) to reduce the energy of, esp by exertion; weary
2. (tr; often passive) to reduce the tolerance of; bore or irritate: I'm tired of the children's chatter
3. (intransitive) to become wearied or bored; flag

Etymology: Old English tēorian, of unknown origin

ˈtiring adjective

tire / ˈtaɪə/ noun , verb

1. the US spelling of tyre

tire / ˈtaɪə/ verb , noun

1. an archaic word for attire

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

tyre (tī^ər), n., v.t., tyred, tyr•ing. [Brit.]

1. British Terms tire².

Tyre  (tī^ər), n. 

1. Ancient History, Place Names an ancient seaport of Phoenicia: one of the great cities of antiquity, famous for its navigators and traders;
   site of modern Sur.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tyre, tire / ˈtaɪə/ noun

1. a rubber ring placed over the rim of a wheel of a road vehicle to provide traction and reduce road shocks, esp a hollow inflated ring (pneumatic tyre) consisting of a reinforced outer casing enclosing an inner tube
   See also tubeless tyre, cross-ply, radial-ply
2. a metal band or hoop attached to the rim of a wooden cartwheel

Etymology: 18th Century: variant of C15 tire, probably from tire³