Wear and tear

Wear and tear

Wear and tear is a term for damage that naturally and inevitably occurs as a result of normal use or aging. It is used in a legal context for such areas as warranty contracts from manufacturers, which usually stipulate that damage due to "wear and tear" will not be covered.

It is a form of depreciation which is assumed to occur even when an item is used competently and with care and proper maintenance. For example, repeated impacts may cause stress to a hammer's head. In the normal use of a hammer for its designed task, this stress is impossible to prevent, and any attempt to eliminate it would make the hammer useless. At the same time, it is expected that the normal use of a hammer will not break it beyond repair until it has gone through a certain amount of use.

A company which supports a warranty on a product with the possibility of "wear and tear" will usually limit the warranty to a period of time where its "wear and tear" will probably not be enough to impede the use of the product significantly. Other factors such as the willingness of a customer to replace a product through warranty will affect how long the company offers it.

External links

* [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wear%20and%20tear Dictionary.Com Definition]


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  • wear and tear — UK US noun [U] INSURANCE ► the damage that happens to an object in ordinary use during a period of time: »The insurer will reduce any payout to take into account wear and tear of the item. general/normal wear and tear »The airline will not accept …   Financial and business terms

  • Wear and tear — Tear Tear, n. The act of tearing, or the state of being torn; a rent; a fissure. Macaulay. [1913 Webster] {Wear and tear}. See under {Wear}, n. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wear and tear — Wear Wear, n. 1. The act of wearing, or the state of being worn; consumption by use; diminution by friction; as, the wear of a garment. [1913 Webster] 2. The thing worn; style of dress; the fashion. [1913 Webster] Motley s the only wear. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wear and tear — I noun corrosion, damage, decay, depletion, depreciation, deterioration, dissolution, dilapidation, diminution, erosion, exhaustion, impairment, ravage, ruination, wastage associated concepts: award with wear and tear excepted II index decrement …   Law dictionary

  • wear and tear — n. loss and damage resulting from use …   English World dictionary

  • wear and tear — [ ,wer ən ter ] noun uncount the changes or damage that normally happen to something that has been used, causing it to be less useful or less valuable …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • wear and tear — wear′ and tear′ [[t]tɛər[/t]] n. damage or deterioration resulting from ordinary use; normal depreciation • Etymology: 1660–70 …   From formal English to slang

  • wear and tear — noun decrease in value of an asset due to obsolescence or use • Syn: ↑depreciation • Derivationally related forms: ↑depreciate (for: ↑depreciation) • Hypernyms: ↑financial loss, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • wear and tear — [[t]we͟ər ən te͟ə(r)[/t]] N UNCOUNT Wear and tear is the damage or change that is caused to something when it is being used normally. ...the problem of wear and tear on the equipment in the harsh desert conditions …   English dictionary

  • wear and tear — damage from work or use. The house showed lots of wear and tear from the large family who lived in it. Your body suffers a lot of wear and tear from playing football …   New idioms dictionary

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