rubdown

[ ruhb-doun ]
See synonyms for rubdown on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a massage, especially after exercise or a steam bath.

Origin of rubdown

1
First recorded in 1665–75; noun use of verb phrase rub down

Words Nearby rubdown

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rubdown in a sentence

  • "You handed yourself that one, kid," Spike had said, applying raw beef to it after their rubdown.

    The Wrong Twin | Harry Leon Wilson
  • And it was all they could do to get away from them and repair to their shower and rubdown, never before so needed or so welcome.

  • If this is not possible, exercise, keep moving, until there is opportunity for a rubdown and change.

    Clothing and Health | Helen Kinne
  • It was with a feeling of relief that he had gained the shelter of the clubhouse with its refreshing shower and rubdown.

  • There she gave Elizabeth a brisk rubdown that set the blood dancing in her veins.

    The Torch Bearer | I. T. Thurston

British Dictionary definitions for rub down

rub down

verb(adverb)
  1. to dry or clean (a horse, athlete, oneself, etc) vigorously, esp after exercise

  2. to make or become smooth by rubbing

  1. (tr) to prepare (a surface) for painting by rubbing it with sandpaper

nounrubdown
  1. the act of rubbing down

  2. the Hong Kong term for dressing-down

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with rubdown

rubdown

Briskly rub the body, as in a massage. For example, The trainer rubs down marathon runners, or That horse needs rubbing down. This expression was first used (and still is) for rubbing away dust and sweat from a horse. [Late 1600s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.