rub off

English

Verb

rub off

1. To cause to come off by rubbing

   We had to rub off all the graffiti from the wall

2. To clean by rubbing.
   • 1922, Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

     He was wet through with the dew and quite earthy from diving into the burrows the Boy had made for him in the flower bed, and Nana grumbled as she rubbed him off with a corner of her apron.

3. (idiomatic) to be transferred with little or no effort

Derived terms

• rub off on