Rub Off

Pronunciation: /rʌb ɔf/

Definitions of rub off

verb to transfer from one surface to another through friction or contact

Example Sentences

A1 I hope some of your positive attitude will rub off on me.

A2 Watching her practice every day made me want to try harder and let her determination rub off on me.

B1 Being around successful people can help their success rub off on you.

B2 His enthusiasm for the project started to rub off on the rest of the team, motivating them to work harder.

C1 The artist's passion and dedication to his craft began to rub off on his students, inspiring them to create beautiful work.

C2 Her positive energy and drive were so infectious that it began to rub off on everyone around her, creating a more productive work environment.

Examples of rub off in a Sentence

formal The ink from the newspaper rubbed off onto my hands.

informal I accidentally rubbed off some of the paint on the wall.

slang I hope some of his coolness rubs off on me.

figurative Her positive attitude really rubbed off on the team, making everyone more motivated.

Grammatical Forms of rub off

• past tense: rubbed
• plural: rub offs
• comparative: more rub off
• superlative: most rub off
• present tense: rub off
• future tense: will rub off
• perfect tense: have rubbed off
• continuous tense: is rubbing off
• singular: rub off
• positive degree: rub off
• infinitive: to rub off
• gerund: rubbing off
• participle: rubbed off

Origin and Evolution of rub off

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The origin of the phrase 'rub off' can be traced back to the action of rubbing a substance onto a surface to transfer some of it onto that surface.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in a literal sense of transferring a substance through rubbing, the phrase 'rub off' has evolved to also refer to the idea of influence or impact being transferred from one person to another through interaction or association.