wear off

verb

wore off; worn off; wearing off; wears off
: to gradually decrease, disappear, or stop
The painkillers wore off after a couple of hours.
The shine on the leather will wear off pretty quickly.
After you drive a new car for a while, the novelty wears off.

Examples of wear off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Paint has worn off and the metal underneath is rusted on the 1,092-foot warship, which is one of the largest in the world. — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026 Once the shine wears off, you’re left with a pretty and subtle stain that lasts through many drinks. — Gina Vaynshteyn, StyleCaster, 31 Aug. 2026 Once the novelty wore off, many ended up in storerooms gathering dust. — Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 The stigma against using AI for writing appears to be wearing off. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wear off

Rhymes for wear off

See All Rhymes for wear off

Browse Nearby Words

wear many hats
wear off
wear on
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wear off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wear%20off. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All