1 B1 idiomatic informal
Of a quality or habit: to be transferred unconsciously from one person to another through close contact or association.
"Her love of reading really rubbed off on her children — they all became bookworms."
inseparable
rub off on
B1 informal inseparable intransitive
Of a quality, habit, or attitude: to be gradually and unconsciously transferred from one person to another through close contact.
In plain English
When you spend time with someone and you start to act like them — their good or bad habits start affecting you without you realising.
What does "rub off on" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
The image comes from a substance rubbing off a surface onto another — here applied to intangible qualities.
Actually means
When you spend time with someone and you start to act like them — their good or bad habits start affecting you without you realising.
Usage tip
Always used figuratively. The quality transfers from person A to person B — 'his enthusiasm rubbed off on the team'. Can apply to positive or negative traits. Common in all varieties of English. Often used with 'a bit', 'some', 'clearly'.
Words that pair with "rub off on"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
enthusiasm confidence attitude pessimism style passion
How to conjugate "rub off on"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
rub off on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rubs off on
he/she/it
Past simple
rubed off on
yesterday
Past participle
rubed off on
have + pp
-ing form
rubing off on
continuous
Hear "rub off on" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "rub off on" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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