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rubbing

American  
[ruhb-ing] / ˈrʌb ɪŋ /

noun

  1. an act or action of a person or thing that rubs.

  2. an impression of an incised or sculptured surface made by laying paper over it and rubbing with heelball, graphite, or a similar substance until the image appears.

rubbing British  
/ ˈrʌbɪŋ /

noun

  1. an impression taken of an incised or raised surface, such as a brass plate on a tomb, by laying paper over it and rubbing with wax, graphite, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rubbing

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; rub, -ing 1

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.

The spiders were communicating once more, slowly rubbing their great ribbed back legs together like poisonous crickets.

From Literature

He stood there for a bit, rubbing his chin and considering.

From Literature

As the dust from what has been a hard-fought election campaign in Thailand settles, many Thais may be rubbing their eyes and asking, "what just happened?"

From BBC

He had learned in Cub Scouts how to create sparks by rubbing stones together.

From Literature

The Lakers were down by nine when Doncic departed, rubbing the back of his left thigh and grimacing in discomfort and clear frustration.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.