1 B1 neutral
Of a substance or marking: to be removed from a surface by rubbing.
"The writing on the whiteboard rubs off easily with a dry cloth."
inseparable
rub off
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To be removed from a surface by rubbing, or to be transferred to another surface by contact.
In plain English
To come off a surface when you rub it, or to move from one surface to another by touching.
What does "rub off" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To remove a mark or substance from a surface by rubbing.
"She tried to rub off the lipstick stain from her collar."
separable
3 B1 neutral
Of paint, ink, or dye: to transfer from one surface to another by contact.
"Be careful with that newspaper — the ink rubs off onto your fingers."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To come off a surface through rubbing — transparent.
Actually means
To come off a surface when you rub it, or to move from one surface to another by touching.
Usage tip
The intransitive sense (paint rubbed off) is very common. The transitive sense (she rubbed off the mark) is equally natural. Often heard about ink, paint, dirt, or chalk transferring from one surface to another.
Words that pair with "rub off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
paint ink chalk dirt mark coating
How to conjugate "rub off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rub off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rubs off
he/she/it
Past simple
rubed off
yesterday
Past participle
rubed off
have + pp
-ing form
rubing off
continuous
Hear "rub off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rub off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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