rub
10 ENTRIES FOUND:
rubs;
rubbed;
rubbing
rubs;
rubbed;
rubbing
Britannica Dictionary definition of RUB
1
:
to move something (such as your hand or an object) back and forth along the surface of (something) while pressing
[+ object]
-
Could you rub my shoulders?
-
He blinked and rubbed his eyes.
-
The cat rubbed itself against my leg.
[no object]
-
The cat rubbed against my leg.
-
Don't rub too hard or you'll tear the paper.
2
:
to move (two things) back and forth against each other
— often + together
[+ object]
-
He rubbed his hands with glee.
-
I rubbed my hands together to warm them up.
-
The sound you hear is the crickets rubbing their legs together.
-
We learned how to rub two sticks together to start a fire.
[no object]
-
There was a squeak when the boards rubbed together.
3
:
to move back and forth many times against something in a way that causes pain or damage
[no object]
-
The back of my shoe is rubbing against my heel and giving me a blister.
-
There are marks where the chair has rubbed against the wall.
[+ object]
-
There are marks where the chair has been rubbing the wall.
-
I rubbed my knees raw scrambling over the rocks.
4
[+ object]
:
to spread (something) over and into a surface by pressing firmly with your hands
-
We rubbed the steaks with spices before we grilled them. = We rubbed spices onto the steaks before we grilled them.
-
I rubbed the ointment onto my sore muscles.
rub along
[phrasal verb] British, informal
:
to work, play, etc., together with little or no difficulty
-
We rub along [=get along] well enough, but we're not really close friends.
rub down
[phrasal verb]
rub (someone or something) down
or
rub down (someone or something)
:
to rub (a person or animal's body) with your hands in order to clean, dry, or massage it
—
see also rubdown
-
The trainer rubbed down the players after the game to keep them from getting sore.
rub elbows with
(US) informal or rub shoulders with
:
to meet and talk with (someone) in a friendly way
-
The award dinner gave me the opportunity to rub elbows with some of today's greatest American poets.
rub in
[phrasal verb]
rub (something) in
or
rub in (something)
informal
:
to keep reminding someone of (something that person would like to forget)
-
She keeps rubbing in the fact that she makes more money than I do.
-
I know I made a mistake, but you don't have to rub it in.
rub off
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to come off of a surface and often stick to another surface when the surfaces touch each other
— often used figuratively
-
Be careful that the ink doesn't rub off on your fingers.
-
The paint on the desk is beginning to rub off.
-
Her positive attitude rubbed off on other people. [=other people began to have a positive attitude from being around her]
-
I wish some of your good luck would rub off on me. [=I wish that I would start having good luck too]
2
rub (something) off
or
rub off (something)
:
to remove (something) from a surface by rubbing
-
I rubbed the dirt off (of) the penny.
rub out
[phrasal verb]
1
rub (something) out
or
rub out (something)
chiefly British
:
to remove (something) by rubbing especially with an eraser
-
She rubbed out [=(chiefly US) erased] the wrong answer from her paper and filled in the correct one.
2
rub (someone) out
or
rub out (someone)
US, informal
:
to murder (someone)
-
They say that the Mafia rubbed him out.
rub salt in/into someone's wounds
informal or rub salt in/into the wound
:
to make a difficult situation even worse for someone
-
It's bad enough that he beat me, but the way he keeps talking about it is just rubbing salt in the wound.
rub someone's nose in
informal
:
to repeatedly remind someone of (a mistake, failure, etc.)
-
He beat us all in the race and then rubbed our noses in it.
rub (someone) the wrong way
(US) informal or British rub (someone) up the wrong way
:
to cause (someone) to be angry or annoyed
:
irritate
-
She meant to be helpful but her suggestion really rubbed me the wrong way.
2
rub
/ˈrʌb/
noun
plural
rubs
2
rub
/ˈrʌb/
noun
plural
rubs
Britannica Dictionary definition of RUB
1
[count]
:
an act of rubbing a surface with your hands or an object
— usually singular
-
After the car was washed, they gave the windshield a quick rub with a dry cloth.
-
Let me give you a back rub. [=let me rub/massage your back]
2
the rub
formal
:
something that causes a difficulty or problem
-
Therein/There lies the rub. [=that's the problem]
-
She's an amazing cook, but she rarely has time to make meals. There's the rub.
3
[count]
US
:
a combination of spices that is rubbed into the surface of meat before the meat is cooked
-
He used his favorite rub on the steaks.
-
a dry rub for chicken
