wear off

British  

verb

1. (intr) to decrease in intensity gradually

   the pain will wear off in an hour

2. to disappear or cause to disappear gradually through exposure, use, etc

   the pattern on the ring had been worn off

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wear off Idioms  

1. Diminish gradually, lose effectiveness, as in We'll wait till the drug wears off. [Late 1600s]

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Example Sentences

“It sort of wears off,” said Ben Silverman, Verity’s head of research, of the bullish signal that insider purchases send to the market.

From The Wall Street Journal

She was still hot from the steam, but as that wore off, I realized her temperature was beginning to drop.

From Literature

Professor Edwin Galea, from the University of Greenwich, said the effectiveness of retardant treatment on PU foam can wear off over time.

From BBC

Economists say that as that effect wears off, however, job growth in November should turn positive but remain subdued.

From The Wall Street Journal

I read the paperback so often and so hard that I wore off the cover and had to stick it back on with tape.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• subside