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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

rub off on en · VERB

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic, of behavior, qualifier:beliefs, transitive, usually) To be acquired by or transferred to (someone) as a result of regular exposure.
    • I had hoped that if I went out with Jackie, then some of that elder-stateswoman dignity would rub off on me, but of course without Phil she didn't have any. 1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 19:
    • The hippie way of life seems to have rubbed off on him, as he's a flower power aficionado.
    • Over time, she explained, those beliefs started rubbing off on her. 2023 October 11, David Yaffe-Bellany, Matthew Goldstein, J. Edward Moreno, “Caroline Ellison Says She and Sam Bankman-Fried Lied for Years”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
rubbed off on Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
rubbed off on Tense=Past lexicographic
rubbing off on Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
rubs off on Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Translations (1)

de abfärben ((of behavior, etc.) to be acquired by or transferred to (someone))