rub
Americanverb (used with object)
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rubs,
present (3rd person singular)
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rubbed,
past participle, past
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rubbing
present participle
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to subject the surface of (a thing or person) to pressure and friction, as in cleaning, smoothing, polishing, coating, massaging, or soothing.
to rub a table top with wax polish; to rub the entire back area.
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to move (something) back and forth or with a rotary motion, as against or along another surface.
to rub the cloth over the glass pane.
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to spread or apply (something) with pressure and friction over something else or a person.
to rub lotion on her chapped hands.
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to move (two things) with pressure and friction over or back and forth over each other (often followed bytogether ).
He rubbed his hands together.
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to mark, polish, force, move, etc. (something) by pressure and friction (often followed by over, in, orinto ).
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to remove by pressure and friction; erase (often followed by off orout ).
verb (used without object)
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rubs,
present (3rd person singular)
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rubbed,
past participle, past
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rubbing
present participle
-
to exert pressure and friction on something.
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to move with pressure against something.
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to admit of being rubbed in a specified manner.
Chalk rubs off easily.
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Chiefly British. to proceed, continue in a course, or keep going with effort or difficulty (usually followed by on, along, orthrough ).
He manages to rub along.
noun
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rubs
plural
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an act or instance of rubbing.
an alcohol rub.
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something that annoys or irritates one's feelings, as a sharp criticism, a sarcastic remark, or the like.
to resent rubs concerning one's character.
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an annoying experience or circumstance.
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an obstacle, impediment, or difficulty.
We'd like to travel, but the rub is that we have no money.
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a rough or abraded area caused by rubbing.
verb phrase
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rub down
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to smooth off, polish, or apply a coating to.
to rub a chair down with sandpaper.
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to give a massage to.
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rub out
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to obliterate; erase.
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Slang. to murder.
They rubbed him out before he could get to the police.
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rub off on to become transferred or communicated to by example or association.
Some of his good luck must have rubbed off on me.
idioms
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rub up, to refresh one's memory of (a subject, language, etc.).
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rub salt in / into someone's wounds. salt.
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rub it in, to emphasize or reiterate something unpleasant in order to tease or annoy.
The situation was embarrassing enough without having you rub it in.
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rub the wrong way, to irritate; offend; annoy.
a manner that seemed to rub everyone the wrong way.
verb
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to apply pressure and friction to (something) with a circular or backward and forward motion
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to move (something) with pressure along, over, or against (a surface)
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to chafe or fray
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(tr) to bring into a certain condition by rubbing
rub it clean
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(tr) to spread with pressure, esp in order to cause to be absorbed
he rubbed ointment into his back
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(tr) to mix (fat) into flour with the fingertips, as in making pastry
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to remove or be removed by rubbing
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bowls (of a bowl) to be slowed or deflected by an uneven patch on the green
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to move against each other with pressure and friction (esp in the phrases rub one's hands , often a sign of glee, anticipation, or satisfaction, and rub noses , a greeting among Inuit people)
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informal to remind someone unkindly of his failing or error
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to arouse anger (in); annoy
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informal to mix with socially or associate with
noun
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the act of rubbing
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an obstacle or difficulty (esp in the phrase there's the rub )
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something that hurts the feelings or annoys; rebuke
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bowls an uneven patch in the green
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any roughness or unevenness of surface
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golf an incident of accidental interference with the ball
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informal a piece of good or bad luck
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rubsimple
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rubssimple
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have rubbedperfect
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has rubbedperfect
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am rubbingprogressive
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are rubbingprogressive
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is rubbingprogressive
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have been rubbingperfect progressive
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has been rubbingperfect progressive
Past
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rubbedsimple
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had rubbedperfect
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was rubbingprogressive
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were rubbingprogressive
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had been rubbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rub
1300–50; 1860–65 rub for def. 18b; Middle English rubben (v.); cognate with Frisian rubben, Danish rubbe, Swedish rubba
Explanation
To rub is to push firmly and repeatedly, like when you rub your sore foot. When Hamlet says, "aye, there's the rub," he's not talking about getting a massage. Rub, as a noun, is an obstacle or something in your way. You can rub someone's aching back or rub sunblock on your arms and legs. You can also watch chunks of melting ice on a lake's surface rub against each other or complain that your new shoes rub your heels and give you blisters. Colloquially, you might rub off on your friends, or begin to influence them by your mere presence. If, however, you rub them the wrong way, you irritate or annoy them. The noun rub is not used nearly as often as the verb, but people do love to allude to Hamlet's "aye, there's the rub" line in the "to be or not to be" soliloquy, referring to the unforeseen dreams of death that haunt mankind.
Vocabulary lists containing rub
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After football, we’ll both get in bed with our laptops and we’ll either watch something together and I’ll rub his head until he falls asleep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
McKay's answer is to have someone independent check the map before anyone uses it and rub out the lines that are wrong.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
But here’s the rub: Any forecast embeds an underlying path for interest rates.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Cartilage begins to break down faster than it can be replaced, eventually allowing bones to rub against one another.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Wet sand and granite flakes were applied to the surface of the obelisk and we were told to rub our stone against the obelisk over and over again.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
She hocks back phlegm on a couple of occasions and violently rubs her tired eyes between questions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
Bear will embark on a slower-paced chapter on the Sunshine Coast with one of his former handlers, getting belly rubs and playing his favourite game, fetch.
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
After a warm and ice-cold shower, he cleanses his face and rubs a frozen cucumber over it, which he says will reduce puffiness, acne and brighten his skin.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
I suppose I could give them some of my savings, but that rubs me the wrong way.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
The old white man rubs his eyes and removes his torn-up straw hat to get a closer look at me and Teresita.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
El-Sayed supporters rubbed shoulders with left-leaning influencers and union activists, a group that lent El-Sayed their formidable campaign infrastructure to reach Michigan's large organized labor community.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Any success they achieved rubbed off on my hometown, as it did during that magical 2002 run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
For months, the longship's crew of seasoned sailors rubbed shoulders with Hollywood star Matt Damon, who plays Odysseus on-screen, and a host of professional actors.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Marked by veils of heavily diluted color that are rubbed into the canvas weave to create a weightless, matte effect, its soft, evanescent surface was intended to read, Whistler said, “like breath on glass.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Vague memories of her dreams haunted Natalie as she blinked and rubbed her eyes.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
To be clear, I’m not sitting here rubbing my hands with glee, thinking I’m immune to dementia or a heart attack and I’ll stay young forever.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
Gibney shows the photogenic Stanford dropout’s evolution into a major celebrity and tech power broker, rubbing shoulders with world leaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
In a video accompanying the ad, Kelce could be seen rubbing shoulders with a host of famous faces, including Gigi Hadid, Frances Tiafoe, and Carmelo Anthony, while making his way through Manhattan’s famed Plaza Hotel.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
Reddington, looking upset, could be seen consoling his client, holding her in a side hug and rubbing her back as journalists left court.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
“I’m here, Mother,” I yip, and curl myself beside her, rubbing into her body.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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