- present participle of rub.
rubbing
Americannoun
-
rubbings
plural
-
an act or action of a person or thing that rubs.
-
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.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of rubbing
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at rub, -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing rubbing
Visual Arts - Introductory
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Visual Arts - High School
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Visual Arts - Middle School
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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:
The feeling of responsibility is probably rubbing up against your financial and personal boundaries.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
It may even put your digital self on the field and make you part of the competition, rubbing virtual shoulders with your favorite players.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
"Even more so, the families of two beautiful young mothers who tragically died – Lynsey Courtney and Erin Harbison – it's rubbing salt in an open wound."
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
“Got to get rid of the panza,” Diego said, rubbing his only moderately round belly.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
He stood up and hurried over, still rubbing his face.
From "Mystery Map (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #3)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Similarly, a study published in May in the journal Communications Biology found that elephants form complex "sentences" through their various rumbles, ear flags, trunk rubbings and other actions.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2024
Visitors are invited to make rubbings, with paper, on their surfaces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2022
In 2016 graphic designer Marina Willer created a booklet of neon rubbings; manhole colouring books are available for people seeking mindfulness; and a Shoreditch company offers framed prints of rubbings for £80.
From BBC ● May 14, 2021
In 1953 she began making rubbings of manhole covers, subway grates and other urban features, sometimes assisted by her friend Jasper Johns.
From New York Times ● May 7, 2021
But Gogol is silent, his rubbings rolled up carefully like parchment in his lap.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
