rubber

¹ American  

[ruhb-er] / ˈrʌb ər /

noun

1. Also called gum elastic, caoutchouc.  Also called natural rubber,.  Also called gum.  Also called India rubber.  a highly elastic solid substance, light cream or dark amber in color, polymerized by the drying and coagulation of the latex or milky juice of rubber trees and plants, especially Hevea and Ficus species.

2. a material made by chemically treating and toughening this substance, valued for its elasticity, nonconduction of electricity, shock absorption, and resistance to moisture, used in the manufacture of erasers, electrical insulation, elastic bands, crepe soles, toys, water hoses, tires, and many other products.

3. any of various similar substances and materials made synthetically.

4. rubber band.

5. an eraser of this material, for erasing pencil marks, ink marks, etc.

6. Informal. a rubber tire or a set of rubber tires.

7. a low overshoe of this material.

8. an instrument or tool used for rubbing, polishing, scraping, etc.

9. a person who rubs something, as to smooth or polish it.

10. cutter.

11. British. a dishcloth.

12. a person who gives massages; masseur or masseuse.

13. Horse Racing. swipe.

14. Baseball. an oblong piece of white rubber or other material embedded in the mound at the point from which the pitcher delivers the ball.

15. a coarse file.

16. Slang. a condom.

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verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to rubberneck.

adjective

1. made of, containing, or coated with rubber.

   a rubber bath mat.

2. pertaining to or producing rubber.

   a rubber plantation.

rubber ² American  

[ruhb-er] / ˈrʌb ər /

noun

1. a series or round played until one sidereaches a specific score or wins a specific number of hands.

2. a series consisting of an odd number of games won by the side winning the majority, usually two out of three.

3. the deciding game in such a series.

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adjective

1. Sports. noting a deciding contest between two opponents who have previously won the same number of contests from each other.

   a rubber match.

rubber ¹ British  

/ ˈrʌbə /

noun

1. Also called: India rubber.   gum elastic.   caoutchouc.  a cream to dark brown elastic material obtained by coagulating and drying the latex from certain plants, esp the tree Hevea brasiliensis

2. any of a large variety of elastomers produced by improving the properties of natural rubber or by synthetic means

3. a piece of rubber or felt used for erasing something written, typed, etc; eraser

4. a coarse file

5. a cloth, pad, etc, used for polishing or buffing

6. a person who rubs something in order to smooth, polish, or massage

7. (often plural) a rubberized waterproof article, such as a mackintosh or overshoe

8. slang a male contraceptive; condom

9. (modifier) made of or producing rubber

   a rubber ball

   a rubber factory

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rubber ² British  

/ ˈrʌbə /

noun

1. bridge whist

   1. a match of three games

   2. the deal that wins such a match

2. a series of matches or games in any of various sports

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rubber Scientific  

/ rŭb′ər /

1. An elastic material prepared from the milky sap of certain tropical plants, especially the tree Hevea brasiliensis. Rubber is a polymer that is used, after processing, in a great variety of products, including electric insulation and tires. In its pure form, it is white and consists of repeating units of C ₅ H ₈.

2. Any of various synthetic materials having properties that are similar to those of this substance.

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Other Word Forms

• rubberless adjective
• rubberlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of rubber¹

First recorded in 1530–40; rub + -er ¹

Origin of rubber²

First recorded in 1585–95; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Woodstock gets a solo moment too, whistling on Dog Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” set to a perfect one drop beat as Charlie Brown spirals out in a chicken suit while rubber chickens sway.

From Los Angeles Times

By contrast stocks that operate in the tangible economy of steel, rubber and concrete and regularly return profits to shareholders, have been seeing prices surge.

From Barron's

Made with wood, springs and rubber bands, Rich Walker remembers fondly the first robotic hand built by Shadow Robot in the late 1990s.

From BBC

Omer Sheikh was in the house during the search and directed investigators to the attic, where 121 boxes of rubber gloves were discovered, as well as a box of face masks.

From BBC

He had called the FDA a “failure,” writing in a blog post that it “rubber stamps too many useless products.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• soft