- 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:
But while Zainab spends much of her time rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty, home life in Harrow, north-west London is completely different.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
In the kitchen, Gruel recommends rubbing it with avocado oil, salt and fresh herbs.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
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
The snuffle-licking and the rubbing of scents against each other; the smiling and playing as they encouraged one another for the hunt.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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
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
This week, participants will learn about Sari Dienes, who frequently used ink and webril, a cotton-based material used in the medical industry, to make rubbings of Manhattan’s subway grates, pavement cracks and maintenance hole covers.
From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2021
It’s a sentiment Judy summed up in a poem she wrote to accompany her “Group” rubbings:
From Washington Post ● Jan. 22, 2020
Whenever she introduced her private thoughts into their rubbings or goings, they hooded their eyes.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
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.
