SINCE 1828
rub off
verb
rubbed off;
rubbing off;
rubs off
Definition of rub off
: to become transferred
bad habits rubbed off on them carbon rubs off on your hands
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Other Words from rub off
rub-off
\ ˈrəb-ˌȯf 
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of rub off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And why didn’t his time in the West seem to rub off on him? — Alex Ward, Vox, "The secret life of Kim Jong Un," 20 June 2019 Machado’s face is also rubbed off the penultimate bas relief, where he’s shown with Calvin Coolidge, the first US president to visit Cuba, who’s faceless, too. — Esther Allen, The New York Review of Books, "The Art of the Possible at Havana’s Bienal," 15 June 2019 Mom’s microbes also rub off on a baby through close contact and breastfeeding. — Quanta Magazine, "Should Evolution Treat Our Microbes as Part of Us?," 20 Nov. 2018 With each interaction, her sense of self-love rubbed off on me and nourished me like a salve to my parched skin. — Mai Pham, Orange County Register, "First Person: A Vietnamese American writer finds her identity," 6 June 2019 Should Trump decline to seek reelection, the GOP would suffer most of the aforementioned disadvantages (Trump’s unpopularity would rub off on his replacement), while also forfeiting the benefits of incumbency. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Oprah Should Run – for Governor of Wisconsin," 9 Jan. 2018 Also true to his word, none of it rubbed off on my clothes or my bedsheets, so 10/10 there. — Rebecca Dancer, Allure, "Exclusive: Isle of Paradise Launches Its First Clear Tanning Mousse, and I Got to Try It," 1 Apr. 2019 To be safe, only use this product on white shoes to avoid rubbing off any color. — Isadora Baum, SELF, "Here’s How to Clean Sneakers Depending on the Material," 17 Feb. 2019 She's worn it several times before today, which means maybe the Duchess of Cambridge's color choices are rubbing off on Meghan. — Marina Liao, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Matched in Burgundy Outfits While Attending Different Events," 21 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rub off.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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