rub up
Britishverb
-
to refresh one's memory (of)
-
(tr) to smooth or polish
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.
In that extreme environment, the largest and smallest things in the universe rub up against one another.
From Scientific American • Jun. 22, 2023
As the star swelled, a companion object began to rub up against its outer layers, heating them up and causing them to brighten in the infrared.
From Science Magazine • May 3, 2023
Kristensen said the more numerous Chinese submarine deployments have meant the PLA and U.S. militaries increasingly "rub up" against each other - increasing the odds of accidental conflict.
From Reuters • Apr. 4, 2023
We grab our soap and wade out into the river’s side channel for a wash-up and dip before breakfast, hoping a gar doesn’t rub up against our legs with its jagged teeth and prehistoric scales.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2023
I felt it rub up against my bare skin and had to turn my face away from the blinding light that came next—a flash burn that erased anything and everything that stood in its way.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
