to wear off
93
4.0
- phrasal verb
- /wɛr ɔf/
:
desaparecer
- So after the shock wore off, I was kind of happy.
- effects wear off
- novelty wears off
It's novelty wears off and it doesn't feel that good anymore, you know?
- It's novelty wears off and it doesn't feel that good anymore, you know?
- The novelty wears off, which I think is the same for everything.
- But how long before that wears off and the, you know, the reality starts to dawn on you?
- The latest research shows that support from unemployment is wearing off.
- You know, now the painkillers are are start or the the anesthetic is starting to wear off, starting to feel some pain.
- It feels just normal kind of, you know, like that, that the numbing cream is has kind of like fully worn off now, but it doesn't hurt.
- And that's where it gets dicey when the drugs wear off.
- Right, so there clearly is some endogenous pain control that then wears off and then you feel beat up.
- And it will ultimately wear off that it's interesting.
Examples
-
I will check in more as this completely wears off in a little bit.
-
The depression, if that's what it was, was wearing off and had left me anxious to move.
Fiction book (1990) -
But that will wear off, and then he'll realize that he wants me.
-
It's starting to wear off.
-
The effects will wear off.
-
More might come back to her after the shock wears off.
-
It'll wear off in a bit.
-
My speech is slurred but that wears off after a few hours.
-
Whatever it is, no matter how excruciatingly painful it may be, it will wear off eventually.
-
When the medication starts to wear off, the pain may return.
Synonyms
531
1.2
To slowly become less visible, bright, or loud
463
1.0
To stop being seen or felt
82
2.8
To become less strong little by little
69
3.0
To become weaker and then disappear over time
48
6.8
To make something spread out and disappear, for example fog or tension
48
6.4
To become less in size, amount, or strength
47
4.8
Become less strong, as with pain, noise, or excitement
46
2.7
To become less strong or loud over time
38
4.1
Gradually become less strong until a feeling is gone
21
3.5
To become less in number or amount
19
4.3
To become less in amount or quality
15
3.9
Gradually become harder to see or quieter until it disappears
14
6.3
To lose electrical charge or current slowly over time
12
3.5
To slowly disappear or stop existing
9
4.0
To become gradually less strong or severe
9
4.5
To become smaller or weaker over time until it stops
8
4.2
To become quieter and then stop
2
3.3
To become less over time
1
4.6
Slowly get smaller in number or amount until nothing remains
To become less strong over time
Antonyms
How Persistent
Surface Forms
Morphology
wear + off
The verb 'wear' (to suffer damage or be eroded) plus the particle 'off' (indicating removal or away) suggests a gradual reduction, so learners can partly infer the sense 'to diminish or subside'. However, its use with abstract nouns (e.g., pain, effects) is metaphorical and the exact intransitive meaning 'become less intense/less effective' is not fully predictable without prior exposure. Given this partly compositional but somewhat metaphorical shift, the item is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The verb wear off shows the idea of wear + off: imagine a coat or layer slowly rubbing thin and finally coming off. So, when a feeling or effect 'wears off', it slowly becomes less strong and then 'disappears'.