🇬🇧 Fatigue meaning: English Vocabulary Flash Card

Fatigue is what happens to a material, like metal or plastic, when it gets weaker after being bent, stretched, or used over and over again. At first it’s strong, but tiny cracks slowly appear inside it, and after a while it can break more easily. Engineers have to be careful about fatigue so bridges, airplanes, bikes, and other things don’t suddenly snap from too much repeated use.

The mailbox hinge had fatigue because the mail carrier keeps slamming it shut like it owes them money.

The seesaw’s metal bar had fatigue from kids trying to launch each other into orbit instead of just playing nicely.

The teacher said the paperclip broke from metal fatigue, but I’m pretty sure it was also tired of holding together 47 worksheets.

The fence wire sagged with fatigue after our goat leaned on it every day like it was his personal recliner.

Engineers seriously study fatigue because tiny cracks in metal parts can make bridges, airplanes, and roller coasters break—so your wild rides stay fun instead of becoming surprise flying lessons.

The old gate hinge showed fatigue: its metal bent slowly where it had swung for years, a sign of fatigue. Each creak was fatigue, each new bend left faint cracks from fatigue in the metal. A child pushed the gate; a last sharp snap of fatigue sent the hinge down. They laughed, tied the gate, and fixed it.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.