Meanings
tire1
present singular third person tires · participle present tiring · participle past tired · past tired · alternative dialectal tyre
- transitiveTo bore.
Synonyms: bend someone's ear, bore, depress, ennui, hold by the button, talk someone under the table, weary
tire2
plural tires · alternative tyre
- US and Canada spelling of tyre: The rubber covering on a wheel.
- USUS spelling of tyre: The metal rim of a wheel, especially that of a railroad locomotive.
- obsoleteDress, clothes, attire.
men like apes follow the fashions in tires, gestures, actions: if the king laugh, all laugh[…].
1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York: New York Review Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 661 more example
Ne spared they to strip her naked all. / Then when they had despoild her tire and call, / Such as she was, their eyes might her behold.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC - A covering for the head; a headdress.
And on her head she wore a tyre of gold,
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 144
present singular third person tires · participle present tiring · participle past tired · past tired · alternative tyre
tire3
present singular third person tires · participle present tiring · participle past tired · past tired · alternative tyre
- obsoleteTo seize, pull, and tear prey, as a hawk does.
Even as an empty eagle, sharp by fast, / Tires with her beak on feathers, flesh, and bone.
1593, [William Shakespeare], Venus and Adonis, London: […] Richard Field, […], →OCLC2 more examples
I grieve myself / To think, when thou shalt be disedged by her / That now thou tirest on, how thy memory / Will then be pang'd by me.
1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv], lines 94–97Ye dregs of baseness, vultures amongst men, / That tire upon the hearts of generous spirits.
1612–1613, Nathan Field, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, “The Honest Mans Fortune”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act II, scene v - obsoleteTo seize, rend, or tear something as prey; to be fixed upon, or engaged with, anything.
Upon that were my thoughts tiring.
c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)2 more examples
and now doth gaſtly death With greedie talients gripe my bleeding hart, And like a Harpye tires on my life.
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene viiThus made she her remove, / And left wrath tyring on her son.
1616, George Chapman, Iliad
tire4
plural tires
- A tier, row, or rank.
In posture to displode their second tire / Of thunder.
1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo bore.
More synonyms by meaning
verblose interest or become bored with something or somebody
verbexhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
tire · verb
- Proto-West Germanic*teuʀōn
- Old Englishtēorian
- Middle Englishtiren
- Englishtire
From Middle English tiren, tirien, teorien, from Old English tȳrian, tēorian (“to fail, cease, become weary, be tired, exhausted; tire, weary, exhaust”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *teuʀōn (“to cease”), which is possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dews- (“to fail, be behind, lag”). Compare Ancient Greek δεύομαι (deúomai, “to lack”), Sanskrit दोष (dóṣa, “crime, fault, vice, deficiency”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →tire · noun, verb
- Middle Englishtir(e)“equipment, furnshings, ornament”
- Englishtire
Probably from Middle English tir(e) (“equipment, furnshings, ornament”). See the details at tyre.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →tire · verb
- Old Frenchtirer“to draw or pull”
- Middle Englishtire
- Englishtire
From Middle English tire, from Old French tirer (“to draw or pull”), akin to English tear (“to rend”).
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تَعِبَ
- تَعِبَ (taʕiba)to become sleepy
Bulgarian уморявам се, уморявам
- уморявам се (umorjavam se)to become sleepy
- уморявам (umorjavam)to make sleepy
- доскучава ми (doskučava mi)to become bored
- омръзва ми (omrăzva mi)to become bored
Catalan cansar-se, fatigar-se
- cansar-seto become sleepy
- fatigar-seto become sleepy
- cansarto make sleepy
- fatigarto make sleepy
- cansar-seto become tired
- fatigar-seto become tired
- cansar-seto become bored
- avorrir-seto become bored
- adornarto dress or adorn
- guarnirto dress or adorn
Chinese Cantonese 厭 /厌
- 厭 /厌 (jim³)to become bored
Chinese Mandarin 勞累 /劳累, 累
- 勞累 /劳累 (láolèi)to become sleepy
- 累 (lèi)to become sleepy
- 疲倦 (píjuàn)to become sleepy
Czech unavit se, unavit
- unavit seto become sleepy
- unavitto make sleepy
Danish blive trætt, trætte
- blive trættto become sleepy
- trætteto make sleepy
- blive trættto become tired
Dutch vermoeien
- vermoeiento make sleepy
Esperanto laciĝi, lacigi
- laciĝito become sleepy
- lacigito make sleepy
- laciĝito become tired
- laciĝito become bored
- lacigito bore
Finnish väsyä, väsyttää
- väsyäto become sleepy
- väsyttääto make sleepy
- pitkästyäto become bored
- kyllästyäto become bored
- tympääntyäto become bored
- pitkästyttääto bore
- kyllästyttääto bore
- tympäännyttääto bore
French se fatiguer, fatiguer
- se fatiguerto become sleepy
- fatiguerto make sleepy
- se fatiguerto become tired
German ermüden, ermüden
- ermüdento become sleepy
- ermüdento make sleepy
- ermüdento become tired
Greek κουράζομαι, κουράζω
- κουράζομαι (kourázomai)to become sleepy
- κουράζω (kourázo)to make sleepy
Hindi थकान, थकना
- थकान (thakān)to become sleepy
- थकना (thaknā)to become tired
- ऊबना (ūbnā)to become bored
Hungarian elfárad, fárad
- elfáradto become sleepy
- fáradto become sleepy
- kifáradto become sleepy
- elálmosodikto become sleepy
- ellankadto become sleepy
- fárasztto make sleepy
- kifárasztto make sleepy
- elfárasztto make sleepy
- elandalítto make sleepy
- elálmosítto make sleepy
- elfáradto become tired
Irish tuirsigh, tuirsigh
- tuirsighto become sleepy
- tuirsighto make sleepy
Italian affaticarsi, affaticare
- affaticarsito become sleepy
- affaticareto make sleepy
- stancarsito become bored
- stancareto bore
Japanese 疲れる
- 疲れる (tsukareru)to become sleepy
Korean 피곤하다
- 피곤하다 (pigonhada)to become sleepy
Latin dēfetiscor, lassor
- dēfetiscorto become sleepy
- lassorto become sleepy
- fatīgōto make sleepy
- lassōto make sleepy
Norwegian bli trett, bli trett
- bli trettto become sleepy
- bli trettto become tired
Polish męczyć się, zmęczyć się
- męczyć sięto become sleepy
- zmęczyć sięto become sleepy
Portuguese cansar, fatigar
- cansarto become sleepy
- fatigarto become sleepy
- cansarto make sleepy
- fatigarto make sleepy
- adornarto dress or adorn
- enfeitarto dress or adorn
Russian устава́ть, уста́ть
- устава́ть (ustavátʹ)to become sleepy
- уста́ть (ustátʹ)to become sleepy
- утомля́ться (utomljátʹsja)to become sleepy
- утоми́ться (utomítʹsja)to become sleepy
- утомля́ть (utomljátʹ)to make sleepy
- утоми́ть (utomítʹ)to make sleepy
- надоеда́ть (nadojedátʹ)to become bored
- надое́сть (nadojéstʹ)to become bored
- надоеда́ть (nadojedátʹ)to bore
- надое́сть (nadojéstʹ)to bore
- украша́ть (ukrašátʹ)to dress or adorn
- укра́сить (ukrásitʹ)to dress or adorn
Spanish cansar, cansarse
- cansarto become sleepy
- cansarseto become sleepy
- cansarto make sleepy
- cansarseto become bored
- aburrirseto become bored
- hartarseto become bored
Swedish tröttna, trötta
- tröttnato become sleepy
- tröttato make sleepy
- bli tröttto become tired
- tröttnato become tired
Tagalog mapagod, pagurin
- mapagodto become tired
- pagurinto become tired
Thai เหนื่อย
- เหนื่อย (nʉ̀ai)to become sleepy
Turkish yorulmak, yormak
- yorulmakto become sleepy
- yormakto make sleepy
Ukrainian вто́млюватися, втомля́тися
- вто́млюватися (vtómljuvatysja)to become sleepy
- втомля́тися (vtomljátysja)to become sleepy
- втоми́тися (vtomýtysja)to become sleepy
- сто́млювати (stómljuvaty)to make sleepy
- стоми́ти (stomýty)to make sleepy
- набрида́ти (nabrydáty)to become bored
- набри́днути (nabrýdnuty)to become bored
- набрида́ти (nabrydáty)to bore
- набри́днути (nabrýdnuty)to bore
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with tire
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
tire. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tire
“tire.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tire. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tire,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tire.
Source: tire on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.