rub off
verb
rubbed off; rubbing off; rubs off
: to become transferred
bad habits rubbed off on them
carbon rubs off on your hands
Examples of rub off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At home Wilson’s lifestyle changes have rubbed off on her family, including her husband, guitarist Rob Bonfiglio, 56, who lost 12 lbs.
—
Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Tiffany also counted among his friends the impresario P.T. Barnum, whose knack for creating sensation had rubbed off on him.
—Robert Klara, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024
Imposter syndrome rubbed off on me, because I had been used to being the first African American to do X, Y, and Z in science.
—Nicholas Stfleur, STAT, 15 Mar. 2024
Cary, North Carolina The Research Triangle’s innovative energy has rubbed off on this once-small suburb.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
Neal Rubin covered the best bowlers in the world during his sportswriter days, but alas, nothing rubbed off.
—Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 11 Jan. 2024
While the six-part series has some bleak moments, its hopefulness seems to have rubbed off on Granik.
—Gregg Goldstein, Variety, 21 Jan. 2024
Not only are older workers less likely to leave, their calmer, more relaxed perspective can rub off on younger workers in an intergenerational workplace.
—Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 26 Jan. 2024
The power-hitting outfielder — the only player to hit a home run out of Memorial Stadium — played with a ferocity that rubbed off on his teammates and shaped his managerial career, which included AL Manager of the Year honors with the Orioles in 1989.
—Paul McCardell, Baltimore Sun, 17 Jan. 2024
Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Tiffany also counted among his friends the impresario P.T. Barnum, whose knack for creating sensation had rubbed off on him.
—Robert Klara, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024
Imposter syndrome rubbed off on me, because I had been used to being the first African American to do X, Y, and Z in science.
—Nicholas Stfleur, STAT, 15 Mar. 2024
Cary, North Carolina The Research Triangle’s innovative energy has rubbed off on this once-small suburb.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
Neal Rubin covered the best bowlers in the world during his sportswriter days, but alas, nothing rubbed off.
—Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 11 Jan. 2024
While the six-part series has some bleak moments, its hopefulness seems to have rubbed off on Granik.
—Gregg Goldstein, Variety, 21 Jan. 2024
Not only are older workers less likely to leave, their calmer, more relaxed perspective can rub off on younger workers in an intergenerational workplace.
—Alexa Mikhail, Fortune Well, 26 Jan. 2024
The power-hitting outfielder — the only player to hit a home run out of Memorial Stadium — played with a ferocity that rubbed off on his teammates and shaped his managerial career, which included AL Manager of the Year honors with the Orioles in 1989.
—Paul McCardell, Baltimore Sun, 17 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rub off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Rub off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rub%20off. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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