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Synonyms

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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
wear off Idioms  

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

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.

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

The shine started to wear off quickly, though.

From The Wall Street Journal

"But I have a feeling that the shock and awe is wearing off."

From Barron's

The pixie dust of film school wore off fairly quickly, she remembers.

From Los Angeles Times

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.