rub off
Britishverb
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to remove or be removed by rubbing
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(intr; often foll by on or onto) to have an effect through close association or contact, esp so as to make similar
her crude manners have rubbed off on you
noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Legacy overseas brands are now seeking out collaboration, hoping the domestic market's blistering pace and technological innovation will rub off and boost their competitiveness in China and increasingly, abroad.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
Presumably those who do decide to stay in room 411 are hoping that Christie’s literary genius might somehow rub off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
He has had five yellow cards and a red already this season and he has got to be careful, because that kind of indiscipline can rub off on your players.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2025
Existing forever in darkness means figuring out how to navigate and manipulate it, a talent that can rub off on the people who play these monsters.
From Salon ● May 26, 2024
And I keep hoping that maybe some of that pretty will rub off on my parents—maybe make them continue to be nice to each other for a little while.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
