- 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:
When Saint slipped and hurt her arm, the Method actor said she decided to use the pain and can be seen rubbing her elbow in the film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Reddington, looking upset, could be seen consoling his client, holding her in a side hug and rubbing her back as journalists left court.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
The feeling of responsibility is probably rubbing up against your financial and personal boundaries.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
In the kitchen, Gruel recommends rubbing it with avocado oil, salt and fresh herbs.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
He looked down at his plate again, and Mama put her hand on his arm and started rubbing it.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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
Yet her true love, a 19th-century dead guy, is in the graveyard, where she hangs out to make grave rubbings and daydream.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 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
It’s a sentiment Judy summed up in a poem she wrote to accompany her “Group” rubbings:
From Washington Post ● Jan. 22, 2020
“Didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Was it something I said? The rubbings, they’re for a local history project, it’s not as if I’m, you know, digging up bones or anything.”
From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
